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EVANGELISM 



LEWIS SPERRy CHAFER, 





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Rnnk O 4 7 



TRUE EVANGELISM 



BY 

LEWIS SPERRY CHAFER 

NORTHFIELD, MASS. 
Author of Saian'' 



GOSPEL PUBLISHING HOUSE 

D. T. BASS. Manager 

BIBLE SCHOOL PARK. NEW YORK 






CAT 






,^^H CONTENTS 

^^^^^ Introduction 

^^H Foreword 

i 

■ False Forces in Evangelism 

■ Salvation, the Objective in Evangelism 
B The Convicting of the Spirit 

H The Prayer of Intercession 

Suffering with Christ .... 
The Cleansing of the Priests . 



PAGR 

3 
5 

13 
39 
71 
99 
it; 

133 



INTRODUCTION 

If there is sufficient warrant for this book, in addition 
to the many already written on Evangehsm, it lies 
in the effort which is here made to place an emphasis 
upon the fact that evangelism is the service of the 
whole company of believers, and that when they 
intelligently co-operate with the Spirit in this 
work, there is less demand for the modern evangelist 
or his methods. 

What is here written is the result of evangelistic 
experience and study covering a period of almost a 
score of years. During this time the trend of the 
wTiter's conviction has been away from emotional 
and superficial methods, which are too often thought 
to be the only possible expression of earnestness and 
enthusiasm in soul-winning, and toward an entire 
dependence upon the Spirit to do every phase of 
the work that has been assigned to Him in the 
purpose of God. 

It is not a pleasant task to offer criticism of any 
faithful effort in evangelism ; for a sincere attemp 



4 INTRODUCTION 

to reach the lost, though misguided, is preferable 
to the spiritual death and formalism which knows no 
burden or sacrifice for the unsaved. What may seem 
as criticism has been introduced only where it is 
needed to emphasize true evangelism by way of 
contrast. It is intended that this work shall be 
constructive rather than critical. If some of the 
difficulties in soul-winning, with the Divine provi- 
sions to overcome them, are herein revealed, and 
any new light shall fall on the exact responsibility 
of the individual Christian in co-operation with 
Christ, and that new light be acted upon, the going 
forth of this testimony in the name of Christ and for 
His glory will not have been in vain. 

THE AUTHOR. 

NORTHFIELD, MASS. 

March isl, 1911. 



FOREWORD 

By MR. HENRY VARLEY 

Your welcome letter from Northfield found me 
in much physical pain and weakness. The more 
welcome may I say on this account, for should my 
brotherly words in reference to your timely volume 
prove to be my latest, I would be grateful for their 
occasion. The proof pages read at the early stages 
of convalescence have been greatly valued and 
enjoyed. The standard is, as it should be, high, 
true, clear, and unmistakably loyal to the revelation 
of God. 

Your volume, in my judgment, is of great value. 
I praise God for your wTiting. The ministry of the 
Holy Spirit is clearly revealed in the luminous pages 
of " True Evangelism." I heartily endorse and 
rejoice in the prominence to the unchanging cha- 
racter of human salvation effected at the instance 
and by the power of the hving God in Christ Jesus 
the Lord. 

The distinct revelation e:iven from the Word of 



6 FOREWORD 

God is admirable. You have not failed to " hold 
fast the form of sound words," which the Spirit of 
God maintains in the New Testament. These can 
never be changed, modified, or made to teach the 
crude fallacies of *' modem criticism," or " New 
Theology." 

Needless to say, you have revealed the cause of 
much failure in past evangelistic effort. Despite 
these failures, we will never forget that it is written 
of the exalted Lord that " He gave some apostles, 
some prophets, some evangeHsts, some pastors and 
teachers for the perfecting of the saints to the work 
of the ministry, to the edifying of the Body of 
Christ " (Eph. iv. ii, 12). That the god of this age 
will counterfeit the real gifts is certain, the modem 
sacrificing priest and the mere professional evan- 
gelist yielding conclusive proof. 

Many years since, in conversation with our 
glorified friend, C. H. Spurgeon, the question came 
up, of what our part was, or could be, in connection 
with the salvation of men, seeing that the fact 
and glory of their salvation belonged entirely to 
Christ. 

I remember expressing the following, " that real 
and personal fellowship in the compassionate love 
and sufferings of Christ in regard to the salvation 



FOREWORD 7 

of others might yield partnorsliip in that glory which 
by right alone belongs to Our Lord." 

With the structure and furtherance of your theme, 
as indicated by the titles of the successive chapters, 
I am in hearty agreement. Your searcliing words in 
relation to certain phases of modem evangelism, 
both as to men and methods, should cause deep 
searching of heart ; nor must we fail to point out 
what poor *' soul- winners " at best we all are. Our 
cry must be : " O Lord, be with us, and help us, 
for \\'ithout Thee we can do nothing." 



I 



FALSE 
FORGES IN EVANGELISM 



TRUE EVANGELISM 

CHAPTER 1 

FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 

T^HE Lord Jesus described His mission by the 
* words : " For the Son of Man is come to seek 
and to save that which was lost " (Luke xix. lo), 
and this concise statement included both His 
finished work upon the Cross (John xix. 30), and His 
unfinished work in the world (Acts i. i). While 
the work of saving the lost must ever be a Divine 
undertaking, accomplished only through His finished 
work on the Cross, there are aspects of the work of 
seeking them which were committed to His followers, 
and which are a part of His unfinished work in the 
world. 

The work of seeking the lost, like the work of 
saving them, is in reality a Divine undertaking. 
It is distinctly stated that the Son of Man is come 
to seek. Thus He is again pictured in the Parable 
of the Lost Sheep : " When He hath found it, He 

13 



14 TRUE EVANGELISM 

layeth it upon His shoulders, rejoicing." It is the 
" goodness of God that leadeth to repentance," and 
the whole undertaking of finding lost men is but 
" the power of God unto salvation " ; for no human 
effort or service can be effectual apart from the 
power of God. Seeking the lost is more than a mere 
attempt to locate unsaved men, for they are present 
on every hand. The term ** seeking the lost," there- 
fore, suggests a Divine preparation of the unsaved 
that will bring them into adjustment ^\dth the 
necessary conditions of salvation. 

It will be found, in the course of these studies, that 
there are successive aspects of the Divine seeking of 
the lost to be traced in Scripture, and every phase of 
this work, it will be seen, is undertaken and wholly 
accomplished by God the Holy Spirit. To recog- 
nize these Divine movements and to be ^^illing hum- 
bly to co-operate with them is the true basis of all 
soul-saving work. 

While it has pleased God to appoint to His saints 
(not as a corporate body, but as individuals) a 
portion in the work of seeking, the human part in 
that work is not worthy to be compared \vith the 
Divine. Yet man, who by nature comprehends and 
measures only visible things, is ever prone to dis- 
regard the invisible working of the Spirit, and to 



FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 15 

place an undue emphasis upon the comparatively 
small human share in those undertakings. 

It is under these distorted estimates of the factors 
in the work of salvation that those things which may 
be called " false forces " in evangelism are substi- 
tuted for the true. What are here termed ** false 
forces " are, in some measure, God-appointed means 
in true evangelism. They become false forces only 
when they receive too much emphasis, or are strained 
to perform a function beyond that assigned to them 
in the purpose of God. Thus it may be seen that 
failure in evangelism is not always due to an entire 
neglect of some part, or parts, of the Divine appoint- 
ments for the work ; but may be due to an un- 
balanced estimate of the relative values of these 
forces. 

This discussion of false forces in evangelism will 
be limited to three general aspects — i.e., Men, 
Methods, and Messages. 

Men. — By this term reference is here made to a 
class of men in the mhiistry called " evangelists," 
and on whom the church has so largely come to 
depend for her activity in evangelism. 

The word " evangelist " is used but three times 
in Scripture, and but one of these passages is to any 



i6 TRUE EVANGELISM 

extent descriptive. It is as follows : " Wherefore 
He saith, when He ascended on high, He led captivity 
captive, and gave gifts unto men." ..." And 
He gave some to be apostles ; and some, prophets ; 
and some, evangelists ; and some, pastors and 
teachers ; for the perfecting of the saints, unto the 
work of ministering, unto the building up of the body 
of Christ : till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, 
and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a full 
grown man, unto the measure of the stature of the 
fulness of Christ " (Eph. iv. 8, 11-13, R.v.). 

Here the evangelist is seen, with the apostle, 
prophet, pastor and teacher, to be a gift of the 
ascended Christ to His church in the world. This 
ministry gift of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, and 
pastor and teacher should be distinguished from the 
enduement for service bestowed upon the individual 
believer (i Cor. xii. 4-31 ; Rom. xii. 3-8). In the one 
case the servant of God who has been endued for 
ministry is Christ's gift to the whole church ; while 
in the other case a special enablement for service is 
given to the individual believer by the sovereign 
Spirit " as He will." In this same connection still 
another distinction should be made, in that the 
believer, in addition to the exercise of gifts, is 
appointed to the ministry of the priestly office ; and 



FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 17 

since evangelism will be found to depend so largely 
upon the exercise of the behever's gifts and his 
ministry in the priestly office, a violation has been 
done to the plan of God, as revealed in His Word, 
insomuch as the work of evangelism has been taken 
from the whole company of believers and entrusted 
to a few. 

The evangelist of Scripture is, without question, 
the messenger to the unevangelized, preparing the 
way for the pastor and teacher in his more constant 
ministry in the church. The evangeUst, therefore, 
finds his fullest Divine purpose as a pioneer mis- 
sionary to the hitherto unevangelized. 

The modem " revival," the work of the " revival- 
ist " who comes under the title of an evangelist, but 
works as a religious promoter in the organized 
church, is unexpected in Scripture, except as the 
word " revival " is used to denote a forward move- 
ment in the spiritual Ufe of the church, without 
including the idea of attempting to regain some 
spiritual position once held, but now lost. The use 
of the word usually means, however, a getting up 
after having fallen down, or a waking after sleeping, 
or a coming to strength after a period of weakness ; 
while, on the other hand, the Scripture pre-supposes 
a continual erect, wakeful and aggressive position 



i8 TRUE EVANGELISM 

for service on the part of every Christian (Eph. vi. 
10-17). Thus, it may be seen, a " revival " is 
abnormal rather than normal. It may have a 
function when needed, but in no way should become 
a habit, much less a sanctioned method of work. 
Having regained vitality, believers are not war- 
ranted in habitually returning to an anaemic state. 

The re-adjustment of a powerless church into a 
normal position of fruit-bearing fellowship with 
God is, without question, an undertaking that is 
warranted in Scripture. Such a transformation, 
however, can be accomplished only through a 
ministry of teaching and pastoral care. Thus it 
falls naturally within the sphere of service com- 
mitted to the pastor and teacher whose ministry 
is not necessarily located in one place since he is a 
gift to the whole body of believers. Such a ministry 
may be undertaken by a pastor and teacher who is a 
specialist in such work, and who may visit the field 
to temporarily assist the resident pastor in his work. 
If this adjustment of the church is accomplished, 
the pastor or special assistant may then " do the 
work of an evangelist." There is an important 
possible distinction, however, between being an 
evangelist by calling, and doing the work of an 
evangelist as occasion may arise in the pastoral office. 



FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 19 

The efficiency of the whole company of beUevers 
must depend upon their proper adjustment to God 
in the cleansing and fitting of their individual lives. 
Just here there is a grave danger lest the church 
shall ignore her God-appomted work, and the 
necessary individual preparation for it, and attempt 
to substitute the wholesale machinery and appeal 
of the modern evangelist in its place. 

The fact that a " revival " is planned for is a 
confession on the part of a church of a condition 
which would render the normal movements of the 
Spirit in salvation impossible. The call for the 
evangelist, under those conditions, also reveals the 
fact that the expectation of the church, to a great 
extent, is toward the man that is invited, rather than 
toward the Holy Spirit and His appointed ministry 
through the church itself. The special help of a 
Scriptural evangelist might be imperative in gather- 
ing the abundant fruit produced by the faithful 
evangelizing efforts of a church. It will be admitted, 
however, that such conditions do not often exist in 
the churches : on the contrary, the sincere 
and inteUigent evangelist must, almost without 
exception, first do the work of a pastor and 
teacher by seeking to revive the church itself. 

This unfruitful condition of the church has 



20 TRUE EVANGELISM 

created a great temptation for the evangelist to be 
superficial in his aim and undertakings. His repu- 
tation, and often his remuneration, are dependent 
upon apparent results ; for many pastors and 
churches have been trained to a vision of quantity 
in results rather than to a due regard for quality. 
If the evangelist understands the Divine programme 
in soul-winning, and proposes to go to the bottom 
with the churches, and do a teaching work that he 
may build the necessary Scriptural foundation for 
abiding fruit, he may often have to do so against 
the opposition of pastors and churches. They, 
expecting a sudden and apparent transfomiation, 
are naturally unprepared for the extended period 
of time and the pastoral instruction that is required 
to accomplish the necessary work. In undertaking 
a thorough foundation work in the churches, the 
evangelist would thus be forsaking his owti calling, 
and assuming the work of the pastor and teacher ; 
and would be a disappointment to those who had 
called him and on whom he depends, humanly 
speaking, for his support. His temptation is to 
secure the apparent results that are expected ; for 
it is not natural for him to follow a programme that 
would drive him entirely from the ministry which 
he has chosen. 






FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 21 

The discussion of the fundamental error of the 
church in unduly magnifying the work of the evan- 
gelist, and neglecting her own God-appointed minis- 
try in salvation, will be the theme of succeeding 
chapters. 

Methods. — Likewise the undue emphasis upon 
methods in modern evangelism is almost universal. 
The erroneous impression exists that evangelistic 
effort should be confined to stated times and seasons, 
and that belief has led to a far more serious one, 
namely, that God is only occasionally " on the giving 
hand ; " whereas the Scriptural forces in true evan- 
gelism depend upon the unchanging promises of God, 
the constant abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in 
the church, and His continual working through the 
church. 

Frequent gatherings may be of unmeasured value 
in the life of any company of bchevers ; but such 
meetings should not become the only time of soul- 
winning expectation. The conditions are most 
unreasonable when the unbelievers of any locality 
have come to reahze that to avoid the spasmodic 
solicitude of the church for a period of a few days 
is to be free from such appeals for the rest of the 
year, or for, perhaps, a term of years. That 



22 TRUE EVANGELISM 

unreality is one of the fruits of an evangelism that 
depends upon times and seasons. 

Again, the false or undue emphasis on methods is 
disclosed in the evangelist's demand for some public 
action in connection with conversion, such as 
standing or going forward in a meeting. Great 
confusion has been wrought by the intrusion of such 
public acts into the conditions of salvation ; thereby 
making salvation to seem to be by faith in Christ, 
plus a meritorious and more or less spectacular 
demonstration. 

These required public acts are usually justified 
from one or two passages of Scripture, which are here 
quoted : " Whosoever therefore shall confess Me 
before men, him will I confess also before My Father 
which is in heaven '' (Matt. x. 32), and, " That if 
thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, 
and shalt beheve in thine heart that God hath raised 
Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For 
with the heart man beheveth into righteousness ; 
and with the mouth confession is made unto salva- 
tion " (Rom. X. 9, 10). 

A careful study of the whole context of the former 
passage will reveal that the passage occurs in a body 
of Scripture which is primarily applicable to the 
yet future Kingdom age, and it, like all that truth, 



FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 23 

bears only a moral or secondary application to the 
age of the church. Confession cannot, therefore, 
be made a present condition of salvation from this 
particular passage. 

The second passage quoted above (Rom. x. 9, 10), 
is perhaps more important, since it falls within the 
teachings and conditions that belong primarily to 
the soul under grace. 

The force of the positive statement in verse 9, 
" If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord 
Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath 
raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved," is 
explained in verse 10 : " For with the heart man 
believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth 
confession is made unto salvation." In the latter 
verse the true meaning and use of the word " con- 
fess " is suggested. Of this word in this same 
passage Dr. Arthur T. Pierson wrote : *' That word 
means to speak out of a like nature to one another. 
I believe and receive the love of God. In receiving 
His love I receive His hfe, in receiving His Hfe I 
receive His nature, and His nature in me naturally 
expresses itself according to His will. That is con- 
fession. Dr. McLaren has said : * Men do not light 
a candle and put it under a bushel, because the candle 
would either go out or bum the bushel.' You 



24 TRUE EVANGELISM 

must have vent for life, light and love, or how can 
they abide ? And a confession of Christ Jesus as 
Lord is the answer of the new life of God received. 
In receiving love, you are born of God, and, being 
bom of God, you cry, ' Abba Father,' which is 
but the Aramaic word for ' Papa ' — syllables 
which can be pronounced before there are any 
teeth, because they are made with the gums and lips 
— the first word of a new-born soul, bom of God, 
knowing God, and out of a like nature with God 
speaking in the language of a child." 

Confession, then, does not provide a reason for 
salvation, but rather proves its reahty. It is 
clearly the believer's privilege, and is of no value 
until Christ has been received and the new life 
begun. 

So with the heart, or inner consciousness, man 
believes unto righteousness, which is the one 
condition of acceptance before God ; and with the 
mouth confession is made unto salvation, which is 
but the normal answer of the new-born soul to 
God. 

That these passages do not demand a public act 
as a condition of salvation is obvious for at least two 
other reasons. First, such an interpretation would 
disagree with all other passages of Scripture on 



FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 25 

salvation, since it would cause grace to be no more 
grace, inasmuch as there was saving merit in a 
human deed ; and it is impossible to demand con- 
fession in connection with conversion without making 
it seem to be meritorious, and, to that extent, a 
frustrating of the whole doctrine of grace. And 
second, a public confession cannot be a necessity in 
salvation, since an innumerable company have found 
fullest peace with God through Christ Jesus, who 
were deprived of the supposed value of any such 
action. 

Because of satanic blindness to the Gospel of Grace 
(2 Cor. iv. 3, 4), unregenerate man cannot compre- 
hend the true basis of salvation, and is therefore 
ever prone to do the best he knows. This is to 
attempt to work out his own standing before God 
by his own efforts. It is this natural tendency to 
do something of merit that prompts many to respond 
to the evangelist's appeal. It was an expression of 
sincerity that inquired of Jesus : " What shall we 
do, that we might work the works of God ? " And 
His answer then is His answer now : ** This is the 
work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath 
sent *' (John vi. 28, 29). 

It may be conceded that genuine results are some- 
times obtained even where misleading methods are 



26 TRUE EVANGELISM 

employed ; but there is great harm done as well. 
Far too little has been said on this point. Some 
of these evils should, perhaps, be mentioned. 

I. — A False Issue 

The leader who has accustomed himself to years 
of public service can hardly realize the almost 
impossible task that is placed before the majority 
of people when they are asked to do some conspicuous 
act. Such an undertaking, to them, is stupendous ; 
and while they might be willing to receive Christ as 
a personal Saviour, they often shrink from taking a 
public step because of their natural timidity. Thus 
the real issue is many times subordinated to another ; 
and that new issue is not only unreal, but is entirely 
foreign to the all-important question. In this 
connection it is often urged that the unsaved should 
be sufficiently in earnest to readily comply with any 
method or custom that may be employed. But is it 
not evident, in addition to the fact that such demands 
are a denial of the doctrine of grace, that they are 
both unwarranted and unreasonable, since God has 
provided no enabling power whereby unregenerate 
people may do commendable acts for Him ? A 
public confession is a far different task to the same 
timid person after he has received a new Divine 



FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 27 

Life ; for he can then say by faith, and in all humility : 
" I can do all things through Christ which strengthen- 
eth me" (Phil. iv. 13). 

The one necessary step — the acceptance of Christ 
as Saviour — can only be performed in the secret of 
the heart itself, by a personal choice and action of 
the will. This is a dealing with Christ alone, and as 
the time of this decision is the most critical moment 
in a human life, reason demands that it should be 
guarded from every distracting and confusing con- 
dition. 

II. — A False Assurance 

A leader with a commanding personality (and 
every successful evangelist must possess that char- 
acteristic in the extreme) may secure the public 
action of many, when the issue is made one of 
religious merit through some public act. Under 
such an impression, a serious person may stand in a 
meeting who has no conception of what is involved 
in standing by faith on the Rock Christ Jesus ; or 
he may be persuaded to abandon his natural timidity 
when he knows nothing of abandoning his satanic 
tendency to self-help, and resting by faith on that 
which Christ has done for him. The basis of assur- 
ance with all such converts, if questioned carefully, 
^\^ll be found to be no more than a consciousness 



28 TRUE EVANGELISM 

that they have acted out the programme prescribed 
for them. 

III.—" Backsliding " 

Careful students of evangelism have noticed that 
where the necessity of public action as a part of 
conversion has been most emphasized there has 
been a corresponding increase in the God-dishonour- 
ing record of so-called " backsHding " ; and this is 
natural. The covenant of God is to keep eternally 
all who are truly saved, and there are no other 
provisions than the one way of salvation by Christ's 
willing substitution, whereby God can be just and 
still be the justifier of a sin-cursed soul. To attempt 
to " come unto God " on the grounds of a public 
performance, even with great earnestness, is but to 
fail, and the misguided soul who makes that attempt 
when his hope has proven false is the hardest, above 
all others, to reach thereafter. 

IV. — Discredit to the Covenant of God 

As has just been stated, the essential and Scriptural 
doctrine of the eternal keeping by God of every 
regenerate soul has been brought into discredit 
and almost lost. This has come to pass through 
an attempt to reconcile His covenants with " actual 
experience " in evangelism to-day. It has been 



FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 29 

necessary to question this otherwise clear doctrine 
of Scripture to allow for the appalling percentage 
of failures in the ranks of supposed converts. But 
when it is remembered that the modification of that 
positive doctrine, and the forced interpretation of 
Scripture to that end, has been attempted only by 
those who have insisted on a spectacular conver- 
sion, their challenge of that glorious truth may be 
set aside without discussion. 

Although an innumerable multitude may have 
been misguided by responding to false issues and 
have, sooner or later, returned to their own place 
outside Christian fellowship, the covenant of God 
is not involved. "He is able also to save them 
to the uttermost (eternally) who come unto God by 
Him " (Christ) — Heb. vii. 25 ; He " is able to keep 
you from falling, and to present you faultless before 
the presence of His glory with exceeding joy " 
(Jude 24). And the soul that believes in Christ 
" shall not come into condemnation ; but is passed 
from death unto life " (John v. 24). Nor can any 
" pluck them out of My Father's hand " (John x. 
29), or separate them " from the love of God, which 
is in Christ Jesus our Lord " (Rom. viii. 39). 

It is quite possible for a newly-saved person to so 
misunderstand the forces and habits of the old life 



30 TRUE EVANGELISM 

and the possible power and victory of the new hfe as 
to be overtaken in sin and appear, for a time, to 
be " in a far country " ; yet, if he has ever been in 
the Father's house as a son, he, hke the prodigal, 
is still a son, and will therefore be constantly con- 
strained by the Spirit to arise and go to his Father. 
Incalculable harm has been done to all Christen- 
dom by this widespread denial of the grace and 
faithfulness of God. Because of this denial, saints 
have been occupied with futile attempts at self- 
keeping to the neglect of true service for God, and 
intelligent sinners have feared to take the Christian's 
position when reason warned them that such a 
position would be impossible for them to maintain. 

V. — Dishonour to the Spirit of God 

The aim of all public demands in modem evangel- 
ism is to terminate indifference and hesitation by 
a positive decision. But this is often undertaken 
without due regard for the whole process of prepara- 
tion by the Spirit for the intelligent exercise of 
saving faith. Thus the all-important work of the 
Spirit for the unsaved has often been neglected 
and the Spirit dishonoured in the vain attempt to 
hasten decisions and to secure visible results. 

A true decision must depend upon the action of 



II 



FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 31 

the will of the individual as he is moved by his own 
clear vision of his place in the saving work of Christ, 
and that vision must be created by the Spirit. When 
this is accomplished, there v^ill be little occasion to 
argue and plead, and methods which are calculated 
to force a decision will be found to be superfluous ; 
and any method which is superfluous is usually 
resented by intelligent people. Such methods 
create a sense of unreality where there should be a 
growing reahty. 

To send out workers to plead with individuals in a 
miscellaneous congregation is not only embarrassing 
to the people thus approached, but is, in the majority 
of cases, a service which hardens and repels. Forced 
decisions sometimes follow such appeals. These, 
it may be observed, are usually premature and 
unintelligent decisions ; for in such methods there 
is no waiting for the conviction of the Spirit and no 
definite dependence upon His leading. On the 
other hand, the many who have resisted the 
personal appeal have been hardened or driven 
away. 

Public methods which embarrass any person or 
class of persons are not only useless but intrusive. 
There is little gained in inviting all Christians in a 
public gathering to stand, thus forcing all others 



32 TRUE EVANGELISM 

into a conspicuous position, causing them annoyance 
and creating an occasion for prejudice. It is not 
strange that inteUigent unsaved people avoid meet- 
ings where these methods are employed. By 
adopting such a programme the evangelist or pastor 
is positively hindering the very work of God he is 
attempting to do. 

Where the spectacular element in public soul- 
winning is eliminated there is little opportunity to 
count supposed results, and the test of conversion 
is taken wholly out of the sphere of profession 
and made to rest on the reality of a changed life 
afterwards. 

The sincere evangelist who fearlessly judges, 
before God, every method he employs — judging them 
as to their exact value or possible harm in their 
influence on immortal souls — will find that many 
methods are more a habit than a necessity in evan- 
gelism, or that they have been employed in an effort 
to produce visible results, rather than to create a 
means by which sin-burdened souls may find rest 
and peace through a personal and intelligent faith 
in Christ as Saviour. 

Lest it seem that this criticism of modem methods 
in evangelism has left no possible means of bringing 
a whole congregation to a point of decision, the 



FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 33 

following suggestions are offered, which have proved 
valuable. 

The real value of public methods will be secured 
and many evils avoided if, after explaining the way 
of life and during a season of silent prayer, the 
unsaved are simply asked to accept Christ by a con- 
scious act of the will, directed in definite silent prayer 
to God. After such an appeal, an opportunity 
should be made for personal conversation with any 
who believe they have accepted Christ by faith, or 
any others who may have honest difficulties. In 
this conversation the individual's exact under- 
standing of the step can be ascertained and his faith 
strengthened. Such conversations can easily be 
secured in an after-meeting, or by offering some 
attractive literature suited to beginners in the 
Christian life. When it is clear that an inteUigent 
decision has been made, confession of Christ, as a 
personal Saviour, should be urged along with the 
other duties and privileges of the new life. 

Messages. — In considering messages as the last of 
the three " false forces " in evangelism already 
mentioned, it may well be restated that the ministry 
of the evangelist of Scripture was intended to be 
wider in its scope than the accepted mission of the 

G 



34 TRUE EVANGELISM 

evangelist of to-day. As his name implies, he is the 
" bearer of glad tidings," and so is in marked contrast 
with the prophet who proclaims the great principles 
of morality and righteousness. He has also a far 
different mission than the pastor and teacher who 
shepherds the flock and feeds them on the Word of 
God. 

The evangelist of Scripture is given a particular 
message to proclaim. That message is the ** good 
news " of the Gospel of Grace ; it is therefore a 
distinct body of truth for this age. His evangel is 
one of " glad tidings," in that it offers freedom 
from the bondage of the law, with attempts at self- 
fitting for the presence of God, and in that it pro- 
claims a perfect salvation by the power of God 
through faith in Jesus Christ and His redemption 
by the Cross — a salvation through which God by His 
power produces a " new creature," able, because of 
the new life imparted, to bring forth fruit to His 
glory. 

Any deviation from this prescribed message of 
redemptive truth is an unwarranted undertaking 
on the part of the evangelist, and is fraught with 
grave dangers. On the one hand, he may be tempted 
to adopt the message of the prophet, and so emphasize 
only moral conduct or civic righteousness as to lower 



FALSE FORCES IN EVANGELISM 35 

his own aim from regeneration to reformation ; or 
he may undertake the work of the pastor and teacher 
and deal with matters of Christian hving, and thus 
encumber the glorious but limited message of the 
evangelist. For the issue before the unsaved is not 
one of after-conduct. The life to be led after 
conversion can only be determined by the individual 
himself in the light and power of the new relation to 
Christ, Whom he has received, and the manner of that 
new life is a personal matter between the Christian 
and his Lord (Rom. xiv. 4). Yet the questions which 
belong to Christian living, such as forms of amuse- 
ment, or even church membership, are often dis- 
cussed by evangelists,when dealing with the unsaved, 
and these issues may become, in their minds at least, 
conditions of salvation. The individual may be 
willing to accept Christ, but be wholly unable to see 
beyond that one step until that one step is taken. 

Again, a message may become a " false force " and, 
to some extent, a hindrance in true evangelism, 
through a common tendency to depend upon it to 
move the unsaved to decision. Only the Spirit of 
God can illuminate the vision and convict the heart 
of its sinfulness ; and while the Spirit may use the 
message to that end, the work is His and His alone. 
The real purpose of the message and the utter 



36 TRUE EVANGELISM 

impossibility of its possessing convicting power in 
and of itself will be more fully stated in another 
chapter, when dealing with the illuminating of the 
Spirit as one of the true forces in the evangelism 
of Scripture. 

In considering the true forces in evangelism as 
they are set forth in the Scriptures, it will be seen 
that they, in contrast with the " false forces " already 
mentioned, depend upon the activity of the whole 
company of believers ; that they demand an unceas- 
ing effort for their fullest realization ; and that they, 
from necessity, must usually be carried on inde- 
pendent of public gatherings or special leaders. 
These true forces in evangelism will, for the sake of 
emphasis, be taken up in their reverse order ; begin- 
ning with the objective, or end, which true evan- 
gelism must have in view, and tracing the successive 
steps backward to the real point of human respon- 
sibility. 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 
IN EVANGELISM 



CHAPTER II 

SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE IN EVANGELISM 

A LL evangelism finds its consummation in one 
^^ phase of the great Scriptural word, *' Salva- 
tion." A word which covers more than the 
objective of evangeHsm, in that it includes, 
beyond the deliverance from the penalty and 
condemnation of sin both the deliverance from 
the present power of sin and the final imfold- 
ing and development of the saved one into the 
image of Christ. The word, then, includes a whole 
series of other great doctrines and revelations 
in which the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are seen 
working toward the transformation of the individual, 
body, soul, and spirit, into a celestial being and a 
partaker with Christ of the heavenly glory. This is 
the mighty working of the Triune God toward the 
heavenly perfection of every one for whom Christ 
died. Blessed indeed are they who learn to yield 
themselves wholly to His saving power ! 

Because of the universal satanic blindness upon 
39 



40 TRUE EVANGELISM 

the minds of unregenerate people (2 Cor. iv. 3, 4) 
the scope of the transforming work of salvation 
is not always understood, even where such knowledge 
is boldly assumed, and many religious leaders, 
through this blindness, have ignorantly turned away 
from the real Gospel and have sincerely espoused 
" another gospel " of social reform, ethical culture, 
humanitarianism or morality. In turning to these 
good but subordinate things they have revealed, 
both by their careless rejection of the one Gospel of 
Grace and by their unbounded enthusiasm for these 
unworthy substitutes, that the riches of the " glori- 
ous Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, has 
not dawned on them." 

This unconscious ignorance of the central truth of 
the Word of God is one of the mightiest hindrances 
to evangelism to-day ; for not only are the blinded 
unable to take a part in real soul-saving work, but 
they have pleaded for, and to some extent secured, an 
attitude of tolerance toward their doctrines from 
many who should be resisting them in defence of 
the truth. 

The spirit of tolerance toward the preaching of 
" another gospel," instead of the Gospel of Christ, is 
usually justified by the assuring statement that the 
Word of God needs no defence, and therefore any 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 41 

controversy with these perverters of the truth would 
be a needless and aimless warfare. To this it may 
be replied : No defence of the whole truth is ever 
made from a fear that man will destroy the eternal 
Word itself, but that defence is made from a God- 
given compassion for the multitude who arc being 
beguiled away from all hope by the sophistries of 
these teachings ; for any true burden for the lost will 
extend to the misguided as much as to the 
unguided. 

With the many pious substitutes for the one 
Gospel of Grace to-day, and the ecclesiastical influence 
and blind enthusiasm of their promoters, evangelism 
has new enemies to face, and her glorious work can 
never be accomplished by waving the white flag of 
tolerance before these foes. 

Since much depends, in true evangelism, on a 
clear understanding of all that is included in " the 
power of God unto salvation," it is important to 
dwell at some length on the various aspects of that 
great word. This is undertaken with a deep con- 
sciousness that the heart-comprehension of the glori- 
ous riches of salvation must depend upon a Divine 
illumination, or, as it is stated in the Scriptures : 
*' That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father 
of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom 



42 TRUE EVANGELISM 

and revelation in the knowledge of Him : the eyes 
of your understanding being enlightened ; that ye 
may know what is the hope of His calling, and what 
the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the 
saints" (Eph. i. 17, 18). 

In I Cor. i. 30, Christ is set forth as having been 
made unto the believer, " Righteousness, Sanctifica- 
tion, and Redemption." These three words, to some 
extent, suggest the three tenses — past, present, and 
future — of salvation ; for the believer was saved 
from condemnation into righteousness and life when 
he believed ; he is being saved from the habit and 
power of sin through sanctification ; and he wiU 
be saved from the presence of sin when he, with his 
glorious body, is wholly redeemed and complete in 
the presence of his Lord at His Coming. 

The present and future tenses of salvation, though 
in no way a part of evangelism, should be carefully 
distinguished from the past tense, which is its true 
objective. 

To the believer who has come into the first great 
tense of salvation, the body of truth mentioned above 
which sets forth " Sanctification," and " the second 
tense of salvation " is of greatest import ; for it 
presents to him the only solution of all the problems 
gathering about his responsibility to walk worthy 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 43 

of the vocation wherewith he is called, and to show 
forth the virtues of Him Who hath called him from 
darkness into His marvellous light. The believer's 
high position of sonship with God, co-partnership 
with Christ, and communion and fellowship with 
the Spirit of Holiness Who indwells him, demands 
nothing short of a God-wrought salvation from the 
habit and power of sin, which is independent of all 
human energy and strength ; for human nature, at 
its best, has no capacity to produce the smallest 
part of a true God-honouring hfe. 

It may further be stated in this connection that 
no intelligent Christian can contemplate the three- 
fold fact of his own high calling in Christ Jesus, his 
sinful nature, and the overpowering strength of his 
adversary Satan, and not welcome the God-pro- 
vided victory and salvation by the Spirit from the 
control and domination of evil. It is, however, often 
difficult for the child of God to abandon his own 
resources and tendency to self-help as a means to 
victory, and to rest in faith and expectation toward 
God that He will work in him both to will and to do 
of His good pleasure ; yet the victory over evil is 
never gained by any other plan than a complete 
dependence upon the saving power of God through 
Jesus Christ. " He that hath begun a good work 



44 TRUE EVANGELISM 

in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ " 
(Phil. i. 6). 

So it is revealed that the last tense of salva- 
tion, even that faultless presentation before the 
presence of His glory, is a work that is accomplished 
independent of all human energy and strength. 

In each revealed purpose of God for man in the 
ages past some responsibility has fallen upon 
the faithfulness of man ; but in this age of grace, 
wherein God is calling out a heavenly people, it is as 
though He would not allow the glorious result to be 
marred by one human touch, so perfectly has He 
reserved to Himself every necessary step in the 
great work of man's salvation. 

Returning to the first tense of salvation, or that 
which is the real objective in true evangelism, it will 
be seen that this part of the saving work of God 
includes the greatest issues that can come into a 
human life. Some of the more important aspects 
of the first tense of salvation will here be considered 
separately : 

I. — The penalty of sin and the condemnation of an 
offended law are wholly set aside through justifica- 
tion, and on the grounds of the substitutionary 
sacrificial death of Christ. As it is recorded in 
Eph. i. 7 : " In Whom we have redemption through 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 45 

His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the 
riches of His grace," and so complete has been this 
atoning work that God, in perfect justice and 
righteousness, can not only forgive and cancel all 
sin, but He can also receive the forgiven sinner as 
covered with all the worthiness of Christ. The same 
passage records : ** Having predestinated us unto 
the adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto Him- 
self, according to the good pleasure of His will, to 
the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath 
made us accepted in the beloved " (Eph. i. 5, 6). 

This is an atonement based upon substitution. It 
is the only meaning given in the New Testament to 
the death of Christ, and it is the only value foreseen 
in that death in the types and prophecies of the Old 
Testament. In Isa. liii. 5, 6, it is written : ** But He 
was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised 
for our iniquities : the chastisement of our peace 
was upon Him ; and with His stripes we are healed. 
All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned 
every one to his own way ; and the Lord hath laid 
on Him the iniquity of us all." To reject this 
repeated and only revelation of the purpose of God 
in the Cross is but to set sail upon a shoreless sea of 
uncertainty, to abandon the only cure for sin which 
the vv'orld can ever know, and to forsake the one 



46 TRUE EVANGELISM 

and only foundation upon which every hope for 
humanity is made to rest, according to God's revela- 
tion to man. 

This fact, namely, that the Divine compassion 
fulfilled all the demands of righteousness in behalf 
of sinful and unrighteous man, stands alone without 
any worthy comparison or illustration in the range 
of human experience. Nevertheless there are inter- 
preters of the meaning of the death of Christ who 
claim that they find a line of analogy to this great 
revelation in the things of this world. They claim 
that such sacrifice is to be seen in the dying of one 
generation of flowers for the enrichment of future 
generations of flowers ; and the suffering of a mother 
for her child is, in principle, akin to the suffering of 
the Cross. The failure of all such comparisons may 
be seen in the fact that the dying of one generation 
of flowers does not save any future generations from 
death ; nor does the suffering of a mother substitute, 
or in any way relieve, the pain and sufferings of the 
child. 

Christ did not die to show us how to die : He died 
that we might not die. Apart from this central 
distinction, there may be maintained a " form of 
religion " ; but there can be no power in salvation. 
There may be a carefully selected use of Scripture ; 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 47 

but there can be no reasonable interpretation of the 
whole testimony of God. 

The sin question was met and perfectly dealt with 
by God, Himself being the sole mediator, and the 
result is a perfect lifting of all penalty and condem- 
nation for sin. All humanity was included in this 
mediation ; for it is written, " He is the propitiation 
for the sins of the whole world," and '* He tasted 
death for every man that cometh into the world," 
and again, *' God so loved the world that He gave 
His only begotten Son." Hence it is revealed that 
the condemnation of the unsaved is not now the 
sins which Christ bore in His body on the tree ; but 
the condemnation rests in the fact of the rejection 
of the Sin-bearer. Thus it is written : "He that 
believeth on the Son is not condemned : but he 
that believeth not is condemned already, because 
he hath not believed on the name of the only begot- 
ten Son of God." Even so, the Spirit convinces a 
world that rejects its propitiation of but one great 
sin : '* Of sin, because they believe not on Me." 

The believer, in contrast to the unsaved, has 
consented to the atonement as the basis of his 
salvation, and has thus appropriated by faith the 
propitiation made for him. 

The exact position of the believer in relation to 



48 TRUE EVANGELISM 

the condemnation justly due to him for his sins may 
be illustrated by the relation which an executed 
criminal bears to the law which has already con- 
demned and put him to death. He has been drawn 
into court, judged and sentenced to death for his 
sins, and the death penalty has been perfectly 
executed. His execution has, however, been borne 
for him, in substitution, by the very Judge Whose 
righteousness condemned him. For it must ever 
be remembered that it was the Judge Who pro- 
nounced the death sentence — " The soul that 
sinneth, it shall die," and " The wages of sin is 
death " — Who also in His great love bowed the 
heavens and came down from that throne, making 
bare His Own bosom and receiving into His Own 
breast the very death blow He had in righteousness 
imposed. It was God that ** was in Cnrist, reconcil- 
ing the world unto Himself, not imputing their 
trespasses unto them." 

The believer, thus standing beyond his o\vn per- 
fect execution, is in a position which is not under 
law ; for the last demand of the law has been 
satisfied. He is in a position, therefore, wherein 
God is free to work out every desire of His Own love 
without a possible challenge of His perfect righteous- 
ness and true holiness. Since all the demands of 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 49 

righteousness have been so fully satisfied, it is written 
that God can remain just, and still be the justifier 
of him that believeth. When God is thus free to 
act He wall accomplish by His Own power His Own 
eternal purpose, and the believer will finally be 
presented faultless before the presence of His glory, 
and will be conformed to the image of His Son. 

Wonderful indeed are the figures used in Scripture 
to set forth the complete removal of sin and con- 
demnation from the one who counts God's provided 
sacrifice in the Cross to be his only hope. In Micah 
vii. 19 it is said of Israel : *' And thou wilt cast all 
their sins into the depth of the sea " ; so also, in 
Psa. ciii. 12 : " As far as the east is from the west, 
so far hath He removed our transgressions from 
us," " And their sins and iniquities will I remember 
no more " (Heb. x. 17). And again, the strong 
figure of " blotting out " is frequently used : '* I, 
even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions 
for My Own sake, and I will not remember thy sins " 
(Isa. xliii. 25). " I have blotted out, as a thick 
cloud, thy transgressions, and, . as a cloud, thy 
sins : return unto Me ; for I have redeemed thee " 
(Isa. xliv. 22). " But those things which God hath 
before showed by the mouth of all His prophets, that 
Christ should suffer, He hath so fulfilled. Repent 



50 TRUE EVANGELISM 

ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may 
be blotted out " (Acts. iii. 19). 

So again, this forgiveness of sin, as in the passage 
just quoted, is said to be made possible only in the 
blood of the Cross. In Col. ii. 13-14 : " And you, 
being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of 
your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, 
having forgiven you all trespasses ; blotting out 
the handwritings of ordinances that was against us, 
which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, 
nailing it to His Cross.*' 

II. — Not only is sin and condemnation removed in 
the first tense of salvation, but the believer is said 
to be "clothed with the righteousness of God " in 
place of the " filthy rags " of self -righteousness, 
as the following Scriptures describe : " But we are 
as an unclean thing, and our righteousnesses are 
as filthy rags " (Isa. Ixiv. 6). "I will greatly rejoice 
in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God ; 
for He hath clothed me with the garments of His 
salvation. He hath covered me with the robe of 
righteousness " (Isa. Ixi. 10). " Let thy priests be 
clothed with righteousness ; and thy saints shout 
for joy " (Psa. cxxxii. 9). 

So, also, many other passages reveal that this 
imputed righteousness is possible only on the 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 51 

grounds of faith in Christ as personal Saviour through 
His sacrificial death : " Unto Adam also and to his 
wife did the Lord make coats of skins, and clothed 
them '* (Gen. iii. 21). A striking type of Christ 
made our righteousness through the shedding of 
blood. " But now the righteousness of God without 
the law is manifest, being witnessed by the law and 
the prophets ; even the righteousness of God which 
is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them 
that believe " (Rom. iii. 21, 22). " What shall we 
say that Abraham our father as pertaining to the 
flesh hath found ? For if Abraham were justified 
by works, he hath whereof to glory ; but not before 
God. For what saith the Scripture ? Abraham 
believed God, and it was counted unto him for 
righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the 
reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to 
him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that 
justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for 
righteousness. Even as David also describeth the 
blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth 
righteousness without works " (Rom. iv. 1-6). 
" For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, 
and going about to establish their own righteousness, 
have not submitted themselves unto the righteous- 
ness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for 



52 TRUE EVANGELISM 

righteousness to every one that believeth '' (Rom. 
X. 3, 4). " That I may win Christ, and be found in 
Him, not having my own righteousness, which is of 
the law, but that which is through the faith of 
Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith " 
(Phil. iii. 8, 9). *' And to her was granted that she 
should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white : 
for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints " 
(Rev. xix. 8). " But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, 
Who of God was made unto us wisdom from God, 
and righteousness and sanctification, and redemp- 
tion " (i Cor. i. 30, R.V.). "For He hath made 
Him to be sin for us. Who knew no sin ; that we 
might be made the righteousness of God in Him " 
(2 Cor. V. 21). 

Space has been given to these many passages that 
imputed righteousness may be seen to be, as it is, 
an important theme in both the Old and New Testa- 
ments, and a necessary thing as well, if sinful man 
is ever to appear before Jehovah God. So also 
this " imputed " righteousness is said in these 
Scriptures to be Christ Himself " made . . . 
our righteousness '' by an act of God ; for according 
to the last passage quoted, the believer is made the 
righteousness of God in Christ as perfectly as Christ 
was made sin for him. His position is said to 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 53 

be "in Christ " and he is " accepted in the 
beloved.** 

There is also a position of perfect justification 
through the work of the Sin-bearer. " He hath 
become the end of the law for righteousness to every 
one that beheveth " (Rom. x. 4). Under these 
" riches of grace " righteousness is not required ; 
but is rather bestowed as the basis of acceptance 
before God, and righteousness is fulfilled in, rather 
than by the believer. 

The revelation that the righteousness of God is 
" unto all and upon all that believe " has always 
seemed an impossible and unreasonable thing from 
the view-point of the " wisdom of this world " ; 
but it is not impossible or unreasonable in the light 
of the Cross. 

III. — Also there is in salvation an impartation of 
a new life ; and that which alone can bring relief 
to one who is " dead in trespasses and sins." It is 
a new creation and regeneration by the power of 
God on the grounds of the blood of the Cross. It, 
too, is bestowed at the beginning of salvation. 

The following passages, selected from over eighty 
New Testament references on this theme, will give 
some conception of the whole doctrine and revela- 
tion : 



54 TRUE EVANGELISM 

(a) It is in no way the present possession of the 
unsaved. " Jesus answered and said unto him. 
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be 
bom again (from above), he cannot see the kingdom 
of God " (John iii. 3). " Verily, verily, I say unto 
you. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and 
drink His blood, ye have no life in you " (John vi. 
53). " Because strait is the gate, and narrow 
the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be 
that find it " (Matt. vii. 14). 

(b) Eternal life is the present possession of the 
believer. " Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that 
heareth My words, and believeth on Him that sent 
Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into 
condemnation ; but is passed from death unto 
life " (John v. 24). " He that believeth on the Son 
hath everlasting life : and he that believeth not the 
Son shall not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth 
on him*' (John iii. 36). "These things have I 
written unto you that beheve on the name of the 
Son of God ; that ye may know that ye have 
eternal life " (i John v. 13). 

While eternal life is a present possession of the 
believer and now secure (John v. 24 ; x. 28), it is, 
like salvation, referred to a few times in its future 
aspect : "Be thou faithful unto death and I will 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 55 

give thee the crown of Hfe '' (Rev. ii. 10). " For 
godliness is profitable unto all things, having the 
promise of the life that now is, and of that which is 
to come '* (i Tim. iv. 8). 

(c) Eternal life is from Christ. " In Him was life ; 
and the life was the light of men " (John i. 4). 
" Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and 
the life : no man cometh unto the Father, but by 
me " (John xiv. 6). '' But ye denied the Holy One 
and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted 
unto you ; and killed the Prince of life, whom God 
hath raised from the dead ; whereof we are witnesses *' 
(Acts iii. 14, 15). " This is the record, that God hath 
given unto us eternal life, and the life is in His 
Son " (i John v. 11). 

(d) Eternal life is the indwelling Christ (also spoken 
of as a " new nature " 2 Pet. i. 4 ; and the " new 
man,*' Col. iii. 10). " Then Jesus said unto them. 
Verily, verily, I say unto you ; Except ye eat the 
flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, ye have 
no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and drinketh 
My blood, hath eternal life ; and I will raise him up 
at the last day. For My flesh is meat indeed, and 
My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh 
and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in 
him. As the living Father hath sent Me, and I 



56 TRUE EVANGELISM 

live by the Father : so he that eateth Me, even he 
shall hve by Me " (John vi. 53-57). " To whom 
God would make known what is the riches of the 
glory of this mystery among the Gentiles ; which is 
Christ in you, the hope of glory " (Col. i. 27). " When 
Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also 
appear with Him in glory " (Col. iii. 4). "I am 
crucified with Christ ; nevertheless I live ; yet not I, 
but Christ liveth in me : and the life which I now 
live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, 
Who loved me, and gave Himself for me *' (Gal. ii. 
20). " Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the 
faith ; prove your own selves. Know ye not your 
own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except 
ye be reprobates " (2 Cor. xiii. 5) ? " Always 
bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord 
Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made 
manifest in our body " (2 Cor. iv. 10). 

(e) Eternal life is conditioned on faith in Christ as 
Saviour, " But these are written, that ye might 
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; 
and that believing ye might have Hfe through His 
name " (John xx. 31). '' But as many as received 
Him, to them gave He power to become the Sons of 
God, even to them that beheve on His name : which 
were bom, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh. 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 57 

nor of the will of man, but of God " (John i. 12, 13). 
" For the wages of sin is death ; but the gift of God 
is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord " 
(Rom. vi. 23). 

Thus regeneration is set forth in the Scriptures as 
a most important part of the work of salvation ; 
and since all its aspects are outside human limitation, 
it is wholly omitted from the religions of men ; and 
since it is the only gateway through which a soul 
can be delivered from the power of darkness and 
translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son (Col. i. 
14), it, too, is carefully omitted from the creeds of 
Satan, and from the teachings of his apostles (2 Cor. 
ii. 13-15). Yet, if this revelation is rejected, what 
other interpretation can be given to this great body 
of truth ? Or what other dynamic can be substi- 
tuted that will enable the soul to rise to the present 
and future estate of the Christian, as that estate is 
described in the Word of God ? 

IV. — The Gift of the Spirit. The God-honouring 
quality of life in the believer has suffered untold 
failure through the almost universal confusion and 
neglect of the truth in regard to the work of the 
Spirit in and upon the believer. This misunder- 
standing begins even with that part of the Spirit's 
work in which He prepares a soul for salvation. 



58 TRUE EVANGELISM 

In the relation of the Spirit to the believer it is, 
perhaps, most important to recognize that the Spirit 
takes His permanent abode in the believer at the 
moment he is saved. Receiving the Spirit is not, 
then, a " second blessing *' bestowed upon especially 
consecrated Christians in answer to believing prayer ; 
for, since the day of Pentecost, and since the Gospel 
was given to the Gentiles as recorded in Acts x., 
the Spirit has taken His place in the believer 
at the moment he has passed from death unto 
life. 

In this connection it need only be remembered 
that in Rom. v. i-ii, where some immediate results 
of justification by faith are enumerated, it is stated 
in the fifth verse that " the love of God is shed abroad 
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto 
us." Also Paul, while correcting the Corinthian 
Christians for unmentionable sins, based his whole 
appeal to them on the fact that they were the 
temples of the Holy Spirit (i Cor. vi. 19). So, also, 
in Rom. viii. 9 : " But ye are not in the flesh, but 
in the Spiiit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in 
you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, 
he is none of His." And Gal. iv. 6 : " And because 
ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His 
Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 59 

It is possible and necessary to be " filled with the 
Spirit " anew for every time of need (Eph. v. 18) ; 
but that should never be confused with receiving 
the Spirit, which is one of the aspects of the first 
tense of salvation. 

By this new relation with the Spirit, the believer 
becomes enabled at once to meet all the demands 
of his new life ; both as to its victory over the 
" old man " with the desires and habits of the flesh, 
and as to the new undertakings for God of the " new 
man " in all holy living and service which are so 
infinitely beyond all human power and might. The 
fact that he comes instantly into possession of suffi- 
cient power by the Spirit to live wholly unto God 
is in marked contrast to the world's ideal of " char- 
acter-building,'* which demands years of painful 
defeat and failure. The believer has but to learn 
to yield himself wholly to the power of the indwelling 
Spirit to find that he is delivered from all the " works 
of the flesh " which are these : " Adultery, fornica- 
tion, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, 
hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, 
heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, 
and such like " ; and in the place of these, the Spirit 
Who indwells the believer will bear in him " the 
fruit of the Spirit '* ; which is " love, joy, peace. 



6o TRUE EVANGELISM 

long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, 
temperance " (Gal. v. 19-24). 

Thus the believer, having received the Spirit at 
the moment he was saved, and being wholly yielded 
to Him, is enabled from that moment to realize 
victory over the " old nature," the flesh, and his 
enemy, Satan. He is able, also, to experience a holy 
life in fellowship with God ; and to find his indivi- 
dual gift of the Spirit for service (Rom. xii. 3-8 ; 
I Cor. xii. 4-31) ; and while there is much sanctifying 
and teaching work of the Spirit yet to be accom- 
plished in him he may, from the first, fill to the full 
all the present will of God for him. 

V. — The Baptism of the Spirit. Any understanding 
of this aspect of salvation must depend, in a large 
measure, upon a clear conception of the various 
meanings of the word ** church " as it is used in the 
Bible. While that word often refers to a local 
organization of professing Christians, the word is 
more often used to designate the whole company of 
regenerate people who have been, or will be saved 
during this age of grace. This body of people, or 
organism, is the true church of the Scriptures. It is 
sometimes mentioned directly, and sometimes in 
types and figures, which suggest the perfect union 
that exists between Christ and the believers, and 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 6i 

between believers themselves. The Shepherd and 
the sheep (John x.) ; the Vine and the branches 
(John XV.) ; the Comer Stone and all the stones of 
the building (Eph. ii. 19-22) ; the Bridegroom and 
the bride (Eph. v. 29 ; 2 Cor, xi. 2 ; Rev. vi. 9, with 
many Old Testament types) ; the Living Head and 
the one body with its many members (i Cor. xii. 
12-31 ; Eph. i. 22, 23, etc.). The gathering out of 
this company is the purpose of the present age 
(Acts XV. 13-18) ; for they are the heavenly people 
whose purpose and glory will be manifest in all the 
ages to come. 

It is into this body of glorious heavenly people that 
the believer is organically placed by the baptism of 
the Spirit at the moment he is saved. This bap- 
tism, by which he is united to his Lord and to his 
fellow-members in the same body, surpasses all 
human understanding, and is a union that is closer 
than any human relationship. The husband and 
wife are, in the purpose of God, " one flesh " ; while 
it is said of this mystic union of the church with its 
" Living Head " that they are " one spirit " : *' For 
by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, 
whether we be Jew or Gentile, whether we be 
bond or free ; and have been all made to 
drink into one Spirit " (i Cor. xii, 13). *' He 



62 TRUE EVANGELISM 

that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit " 
(i Cor. vi. 17). 

So great a relationship must produce some 
personal experience in the believer, even though this 
doctrine is wholly unknown by him ; hence the test 
is given for all professing Christians, *' We know that 
we have passed from death unto life, because we 
love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother 
(Christian) abideth in death" (i John iii. 14). 

The believer's union in the body, as has been 
stated, is perfect and complete from the very begin- 
ning of his saved life ; and, while it imposes no 
demands in personal service beyond his individual 
responsibility as a believer, it opens before him the 
blessed certainty of going with that body to meet the 
Lord when He comes to receive His own (i Thes. iv. 
13-19) ; and to be of the bride, in the bosom of the 
Bridegroom, in the palace of the King. 

VI. — The Christian Priest. The believer is also 
constituted a priest unto God when he enters the 
saved life ; he is one of the whole company of priests, 
which is the true church ; and he has access, through 
the blood of the Cross, into the holiest place, where 
Christ, the High Priest, is now entered in. The 
believer, as a priest in the holiest place, is privileged, 
like the priest of old, to offer his sacrifice and praise 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 63 

unto God, and to intercede before God for his fellow- 
men. 

VII. — The Intercession and Advocacy of Christ. 
Three times over in the Epistles it is recorded that 
Jesus now lives to make intercession for believers 
(Rom. viii. 34; Heb. vii. 25, 9-24). In addition to 
this, Christ said in His High Priestly prayer : "I 
pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them 
which Thou hast given me ; for they are Thine " 
(John xvii. 9). Thus the unregenerate, when they 
believe, come instantly into the place of privilege 
wherein Jesus becomes their Intercessor. This is 
a vital factor in the safety and security of the one 
who is resting in Christ by faith ; for it is in this 
connection that these references to the intercession 
of Jesus occur. Following the question, " Who can 
lay anything to the charge of God's elect ? " and 
" Who is he that condemneth ? '* is the assuring 
answer : " It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is 
risen again. Who is even at the right hand of God, 
Who also maketh intercession for us '* (Rom. viii. 
33, 34). And again : " Wherefore He is able to 
save them to the uttermost (evermore) that come 
unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make 
intercession for them " (Heb. vii. 25). 

Thus Christ, as Intercessor, stands between the 



64 TRUE EVANGELISM 

weakness and helplessness of the saint and the whole 
requirement of God. 

As Advocate, He meets the transgressions and 
failure of the believer, on the ground of His all- 
sufficient sacrifice for sin. It is written : '* My little 
children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin 
not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with 
the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous. And He 
is the propitiation for our sins : and not for ours 
only, but also for the sins of the whole world " 
(i John ii. I, 2). So, to the believer, it is said : 
"If we confess our sins. He is faithful and just to 
forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness " (i John i. 9). With the Advo- 
cate pleading His own sufficient atonement for the 
sins of the saved one, the removal of transgression 
is no longer of present mercy ; for God is said to be 
" faithful and just to forgive us our sins.'' 

Thus Christ has become both the Intercessor and 
Advocate for the believer ; providing him with all 
cleansing from the defilement of sin and becoming 
his assurance of security, in spite of his weakness and 
unworthiness ; and all this from the moment he 
comes " unto God by him." 

Any attempt to describe this salvation must prove 
inadequate ; for the half has never been told of the 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 65 

riches of grace in Christ Jesus. Yet enough has 
been stated to show that the first work in salvation, 
which is offered to the unregenerate on the grounds 
of the merit and sacrifice of Christ, is a stupendous 
and instantaneous transformation of the whole 
estate of man from the power of darkness and the 
condemnation of sin, into the glorious Hght, liberty 
and security of the sons of God. It is the un- 
measured power, wisdom and love of God working, 
at His own infinite cost, to create a new humanity, 
redeemed and heavenly in being. Before such an 
objective the humanitarian substitutes, offered by 
Satan or man, pale into insignificance and fade 
away. 

This salvation is in no way the product of himian 
thought or invention : but it has rather " appeared " 
as a " revelation " from God to man (Tit. iii. 4, 
and Gal. i. 11, 12). The awe-inspiring words, 
" scholars have agreed " is the final evidence offered 
in defence of other so called " gospels " of to-day : 
but of the one true Gospel of Grace it may be said 
*' all Scripture has agreed," for it is the central 
message of the Bible from its beginning to 
its end. 

This great salvation is offered to man as a perfect 
whole and therefore cannot be divided ; for there 



66 TRUE EVANGELISM 

are no Divine provisions whereby any portion of 
this mighty work can be accepted apart from the 
whole. He who would accept the forgiveness of 
sin, or a place vdih the redeemed in glory, can do so 
only as he accepts the Lord Christ ; and with 
Him, all that God in His infinite love would bestow. 
And when he is thus saved he wiU but little compre- 
hend the extent of that redeeming work ; yet his 
limited imderstanding, while it may deprive him of 
much joy and blessing, does not change one fact of 
his new and glorious estate. It remains true, in 
spite of his ignorance, that God has '* given him all 
things richly to enjoy." 

It is also clear that the transcendent undertaking 
of salvation is wholly a work of God, since its every 
phase depends upon a power that surpasses the 
whole range of human strength. Because of this, 
the condition of salvation is reasonable, which 
demands only an attitude of expectation toward 
God. In preparation for this, the blinded and self- 
suf&cient person must not only be so %^Tought upon 
that he will want to be saved ; but he must see his 
utter helplessness apart from the power of God and 
the sacrifice of the Cross, and this, in spite of the 
blinding and opposition of Satan who energizes 
him (Eph. ii. 2). 



SALVATION, THE OBJECTIVE 6; 

Who is sufficient for these things ? Surely not 
the eloquent preacher or the pleading evangehst ! 
God alone is sufficient ; and He has fully provided 
for the necessary preparation of mind and heart in 
the all-important conviction of the Spirit. 



THE 
CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 



CHAPTER III 

THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 

T^VERY soul-winner becomes aware, sooner or 
*-^ later, of the fact that the vast company of 
unsaved people do not realize the seriousness of 
their lost estate ; nor do they become alarmed even 
when the most direct warning and appeal is given to 
them. They may be normally intelligent and keen to 
comprehend any opportunity for personal advance- 
ment in material or intellectual things ; yet there 
is over them a spell of indifference and neglect 
toward the things that would secure for them any 
right relation to God. All the provisions of grace 
with the present and future blessedness of the 
redeemed are listened to by these people without 
a reasonable response. They are, perhaps, sym- 
pathetic, warm-hearted and kind ; they are full of 
tenderness toward all human suffering and need ; 
but their sinfulness before God and their imperative 
need of a Saviour are strangely neglected. They 
lie down to sleep without fear and awaken to a life 

71 



72 TRUE EVANGELISM 

that is free from thought or obligation toward God. 
The faithful minister soon learns, to his sorrow, 
that his most careful presentation of truth and 
earnest appeal produces no effect upon them, and 
the question naturally arises : " How, then, can 
these people be reached with the Gospel ? " 

The answer to that question Hes in a right under- 
standing of the cause of their indifference, and in an 
adjustment of methods in work so that there may be 
co-operation with the Spirit in following the Divine 
programme in soul-winning. 

One of the greatest foes to modem evangelism, 
which has been treated far too lightly, is described 
in the following passage : *' And even if our gospel 
is veiled, it is veiled in them that are perishing : 
in whom the God of this age hath blinded the 
thoughts of the unbelieving, that the illumination 
of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the 
image of God, should not dawn upon them " 
(2 Cor. iv. 3, 4, R.v. with margin). 

This passage scarcely needs comment beyond a 
slight reference to the exact meaning of the word 
" gospel " as that word is here used. 

That body of truth which Paul received as a special 
revelation (Gal. i. 12), and afterwards called " my 
gospel/' " the gospel of Christ " and " the gospel of 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 73 

God " (Rom. ii. 16 ; Phil. i. 27 ; i Thes. ii. 2), is a far 
more limited theme than the life story of Jesus, as 
recorded in the Four Gospels of the New Testament. 
It is rather the exact grounds of salvation by the 
Cross of Christ and through the grace of God. It is 
the whole revelation of the Divine propitiation for 
sin. While this Gospel had a larger mission than 
the Jew could anticipate, in that it was to be a new 
revelation from God, and was to be extended to the 
Gentiles also, it is the Divine offer of all of God's 
provisions for man's salvation in this age ; and by it 
life and immortality were brought to light (2 Tim. 
i. 10). It is simply the offer of redemption and the 
statement of those conditions under grace, by which 
a soul may " turn from darkness unto light and from 
the power of Satan unto God " (Acts xxvi. 18) ; 
and being the point of deliverance *' from the power 
of Satan unto God," it is veiled by Satan and is 
opposed by all satanic wisdom and strength. 

It is clear from Scripture that the Gospel of the 
substitutionary sacrifice of Christ is the only possible 
ground of salvation and escape from " the power of 
Satan xmto God." It is therefore suggestive that 
Satan is imposing his blindness upon the unregenerate 
mind only at this one point. The demons in the 
days of Christ's earthly ministry bore faithful 



74 TRUE EVANGELISM 

testimony to His Deity as the Son of God ; just so 
Satan is now directly witnessing to the value of the 
only offers of salvation by thus centrahzing all his 
blinding power upon the way of the Cross. 

In addition to the exercise of his own power in 
directly blinding the unsaved to the value of the 
cross, Satan is increasingly active, through his min- 
isters, in attempting to expel this central truth from 
the Christian faith. To do this he is now, as 
predicted, forcing great counterfeit religious systems 
and restatements of doctrine upon the world. It is 
also suggestive that in all these the only revealed 
basis of salvation is carefully omitted. 

The blinding or veiling of the mind, mentioned 
in 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4, is then a universal incapacity to 
comprehend the way of salvation, and is imposed 
upon unregenerate man by the arch enemy of God 
in his attempts to hinder the purpose of God in 
redemption. It is a condition of mind against 
which man can Jiave no power. Yet God has provided 
a means whereby :(his satanic veil may be lifted, 
the eyes opened (Acts xxvi. 18), the eyes of the 
heart enlightened (Eph. i. 18, R.v.), and the soul 
come into the illumination of the Gospel of the glory 
of Christ. Then, after this " opening of the eyes ** 
is accomphshed, the way of life, which is the Gospel, 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 75 

will seem, to the enlightened person, to be both 
desirable and of transcendent import. ' This great 
work is accomplished by Divine energy, and is one 
of the mightiest movements of the " power of God 
unto salvation." It is spoken of in Scripture as the 
drawing of God and the convicting of the Spirit : 
"No man can come unto Me, except the Father 
which hath sent Me draw him " (John vi. 44). " And 
when He (the Spirit) is come. He will convict the 
world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment '* 
(John xvi. 8). 

This individual and particular drawing and con- 
victing should be distinguished from the universal 
drawing and illuminating of all men that is mentioned 
in other passages : " And I, if I be lifted up from 
the earth, will draw all men unto Me " (John xii. 
32), and " That was the true Light that lighteth every 
man that cometh into the world " (or, ** That was 
the true Light which coming into the world, shineth 
for every man ") — John i. 9. The former passages 
refer to a special Divine work to be accomplished 
in each individual, and they present the only 
sufficient means by which a Satan-ruled soul (Eph. 
ii. 2) may be inclined unto God, and by which, 
Satan-blinded eyes may receive a new vision of the 
Gospel of Grace. 



76 TRUE EVANGELISM 

This Divine unveiling of the individual mind and 
heart to the Gospel is spoken of at length in Heb. 
vi. 4-9. While this passage is Jewish in its character, 
it is an important statement of a phase of the truth 
under present consideration. The passage is as 
follows : ** For it is impossible for those who were 
once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift 
and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and 
have tasted the good word of God, and the powers 
of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew 
them again unto repentance ; seeing they crucify 
to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him 
to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh 
in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth 
forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, 
receiveth blessing from God : but that which beareth 
thorns and briars is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing ; 
whose end is to be burned. But, beloved, we are 
persuaded better things of you, and things that 
accompany salvation, though we thus speak." 

It would seem impossible that so much could be 
accomplished in any person as is here described, and 
yet that person remain unsaved, were it not for the 
phase of truth which is under consideration ; for 
the passage states that those described have been 
** once enlightened," ** have tasted of the heavenly 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT yy 

gift," and have been made "partakers of the 
Holy Ghost.** They have " tasted the good word 
of God '* and the " powers of the world to come ** ; 
yet this is all true of unregenerate persons who have 
been " drawn '* and " convicted " by Divine power 
in preparation for salvation. 

When the passage has been interpreted as being 
a description of regenerate people, it has been used 
as a proof text to substantiate that unscriptural and 
God-dishonouring theory that a saved person can 
** fall away " and find it impossible to renew his 
repentance. That the passage does not describe a 
true child of God is evident, for the description is 
wholly inadequate for a Christian. All that is here 
said is, in a sense, true of a believer ; but very 
much more is true of him also. The believer has 
received, not " tasted," the heavenly gift ; he has 
been ** sealed by the Holy Spirit,** which is more 
than to have *' partaken ** of the Spirit in conviction 
or illumination. The ** tasting of the Word of 
God ** is a poor substitute for the believer*s " washing 
of regeneration by the Word ** ; and " tasting ** of 
the powers of the world to come is insignificant 
compared with the power of God in salvation. 

But again, it is clearly stated in the closing verse 
of this passage that this is not a description of the 



yS TRUE EVANGELISM 

" better things " that " accompany salvation.** It 
is therefore a description of the condition into 
which a soul is brought when Divinely prepared for 
an intelligent choice of Christ as Saviour. This 
condition is, to some extent, a sphere of probation 
(which is never the relation of a true believer to 
God) ; for, as the life-giving rain waters the earth 
and causes it to yield herbs or thorns, so that soul 
that has been so favoured with the vision of life 
and salvation in preparation for yielding to the 
saving power of Christ, may " bear thorns and briars " 
by continually resisting the vision, and finally " fall 
away " and find no place for repentance ; seeing he 
crucified to himself the Son of God afresh and put 
him to an open shame. Thus the doom of such a 
person is said to be final ; for he has rejected God's 
best gift and his only hope. There remains, there- 
fore, no more " a place of repentance." He must 
then return to a complete and hopeless satanic 
blindness. " If therefore, the light that is in thee 
be darkness, how great is that darkness.*' 

A very similar, and equally important statement 
of the same truth is given in Heb. x. 26-29 : " For 
if we sin wilfully after that we have received the 
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more a 
sacrifice for sins ; but a certain fearful looking for 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 79 

of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall 
devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' 
law died without mercy under two or three witnesses : 
of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he 
be thought worthy, who has trodden underfoot the 
Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the 
covenant, wherewith He was sanctified, an unholy 
thing, and hath done despite to the Spirit of grace *' ? 

The importance of this truth will warrant a 
reference to three other brief passages. In each of 
these this Divine drawing, or calling, may be seen 
in its true place and order among the other aspects of 
" the power of God unto salvation." In these 
passages, this phase of truth is mentioned by the 
words, " to open their eyes," '* called me by His 
grace," and " called." 

"To open their eyes, and to turn them from dark- 
ness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, 
that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inherit- 
ance among them that are sanctified by faith that is 
in me " (Acts xxvi. 18). " But when it pleased 
God, who separated me from my mother's womb, 
and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in 
me, that I might preach Him among the heathen ; 
immediately I conferred not with flesh and 
blood " (Gal. i. 15, 16). ** Moreover, whom He did 



So TRUE EVANGELISM 

predestinate, them He also called : and whom 
He called, them He also justified ; and whom He 
justified, them He also glorified " (Rom. viii. 30). 

Other passages which emphasize the necessary 
illumination of the Spirit should also be quoted : 
" No man can come unto Me, except the Father 
which hath sent Me draw him ; and I will raise 
him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets. 
And they shall be all taught of God. Every man 
therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the 
Father, cometh unto Me " (John vi. 44, 45). " Where- 
fore I give you to understand, that no man speaking 
by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed ; and 
that no man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the 
Holy Ghost '* (i Cor. xii. 3). " Jesus said unto them : 
But whom say ye that I am ? And Simon Peter 
answered and said. Thou art the Christ, the Son of 
the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto 
him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona : for flesh 
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My 
Father which is in heaven " (Matt. xvi. 15-17). 

This special aspect of the Divine work, which has 
been seen in these passages already quoted, is more 
particularly dwelt upon in John xvi. 8-1 1. The 
whole context of this passage (xvi. 8-15) announces, 
in addition to the three-fold work of the Spirit for 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 8i 

the unsaved, or " world," a special instructive and 
illuminative work of the Spirit for the saved, here 
addressed as " you/' As these two classes have 
had to be distinguished in connection with a pre- 
viously quoted Scripture, their difference should be 
noted here also. In this connection it will be seen 
that the saved are to be led into ** all truth " ; while 
the unsaved are to be instructed along but one 
particular line. To the saved the ** all things '* of 
Christ and of God are to be shown ; while the unsaved 
are to see only that which first concerns them, which 
is the way of Hfe in Christ Jesus. This passage 
referring to the work of the Spirit for the unsaved is 
as follows : ** Nevertheless I tell you the truth ; 
it is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go not 
away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but 
if I depart, I will send Him unto you. And when He 
is come. He will reprove the world of sin, and of 
righteousness, and of judgment : of sin, because 
they beHeve not on Me ; of righteousness, because 
I go to My Father, and ye see Me no more ; of 
judgment, because the prince of this world is 
judged." 

In considering this passage it may first be noted 
that the word " reprove " (r.v. ** convict ") is not 
limited, as is usually supposed, to the first word 



82 TRUE EVANGELISM 

" sin," but applies to the words " righteousness ** 
and ** judgment " as well. This suggests a much 
larger meaning to the word than an acute mental 
agony for sin, though that may be included. These 
three words, it will be seen, state three aspects of 
the work of reproving, and are never separated in 
the work of the Spirit. 

A careful study of, in all, about sixteen passages 
where the original of the word *' reprove " is used, 
will reveal that it is usually descriptive of a condition 
of mind resulting from the impartation of truth ; 
and so this convicting work of the Spirit for the 
world is identical with the enlightenment by the 
Spirit already considered. 

Much depends at this point upon an adequate 
understanding of the whole scope of the action of 
the Spirit as suggested by the three words, " sin," 
" righteousness " and " judgment." 

" Of Sin, because they believe not on Me." 
" Jesus answered and said unto him. Verily, verily, 
I say unto thee. Except a man be born again, he 
cannot see the kingdom of God " (John iii. 3). 
** But the natural man receiveth not the things of 
the Spirit of God : for they are foolishness unto 
him ; neither can He know them, because they are 
spiritually discerned " (i Cor. ii. 14). 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 83 

It is just this incapacity and blindness of the 
unregenerate mind which is stated in these passages 
that demands the illuminating work of the Spirit 
in " convincing of sin." It is evident from the words 
" because they believe not on Me " that they do not 
comprehend the way of life in Christ Jesus, nor has 
the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ dawned 
on them. 

The Gospel demands a special revelation for its 
understanding ; since it announces a perfect freedom 
to all humanity from the penalty of sin, and also 
presents the corresponding fact that there can be 
but one reason for condemnation ; and that, the 
rejection of the Saviour, Who bore the sin. Man's 
relation to God on the question of sin, in the light 
of the Cross, is so unnatural to the unregenerate 
mind, and is so much the object of satanic blinding 
that there can be no understanding of this truth 
apart from a direct and personal illumination by 
the Spirit. 

The work of the Spirit, then, is to distinctly 
reveal the cure of sin as already accomplished, and 
to warn against the only remaining possible con- 
demnation that must follow the rejection of the 
Cross. Though the unsaved and "natural man" 
may be educated, gentle, refined, or gifted, he has 



84 TRUE EVANGELISM 

no vision of salvation, and thus it is obvious that 
there can be no adequate conception of the one 
condemning sin of rejecting Christ as Saviour, until 
the Christ and His saving work as sin-bearer are 
made real. This the Spirit accomplishes by con- 
vincing of righteousness and judgment ; for both 
the conviction of righteousness and of judgment are 
but revelations of the Christ and His salvation. 

" Of Righteousness, because I go to My Father 
and ye see Me no more." " But ye denied the 
Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be 
granted unto you ; and killed the Prince of life, 
Whom God hath raised from the dead ; whereof 
we are witnesses " (Acts iii. 14, 15). " Who was 
delivered for our offences, and was raised again for 
our justification *' (Rom. iv. 25). 

In the vision of the Righteous One Who died 
upon the Cross it will be revealed to the unsaved by 
the Spirit that *' God was in Christ reconciling the 
world unto Himself," and that He, the Righteous 
One, bore the curse of the sinner's unrighteousness 
" in His own body on the tree." That it was the 
Righteous One Who died is for ever assured by His 
resurrection and present place in glory. This is 
the all-important vision ; for the Righteous One 
upon the Cross is the sinner's only point of contact 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 85 

with the saving power of God. So, also, as the 
ground of salvation is revealed, by the conviction of 
the Spirit to be the death of the Righteous One, 
so the enjoyment of all present blessing in fellowship 
and security must depend upon as direct and per- 
sonal a revelation, by the Spirit of the present 
living Christ. 

Hence, in convincing of righteousness, the vision 
is created in the unregenerate mind of the Righteous 
One Who died on the Cross as a personal Saviour, 
Who is now raised from the dead, and seated in 
glory with all His atoning work accepted before God, 
and Who is able to " guard that which is committed 
imto Him against that day." 

On the Cross Christ judged all sin and secured a 
perfect salvation for all who believe. So in heaven 
He saves those who have believed from every 
challenge of a broken law. 

" Of Judgment, because the prince of this world 
is judged." " Now is the judgment of this world : 
now shall the prince of this world be cast out " 
(John xii. 31). " And you, being dead in your sins 
and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He 
quickened together with Him, having forgiven you 
all trespasses ; blotting out the handwritings of 
ordinances that was against us, which was contrary 



86 TRUE EVANGELISM 

to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His 
Cross ; and having spoiled principalities and powers 
he made a show of them openly, triumphing over 
them in it " (Col. ii. 13-15). 

In convicting of judgment, the Spirit reveals to the 
unregenerate mind that, through a judgment now 
past, the power and domination of Satan has been 
broken for every man ; and with this " spoiling of 
principalities and powers," all the handwritings and 
ordinances that were against us, that were contrary 
to us, have been taken out of the way and nailed to 
the Cross. 

The claim which Satan held upon man, before the 
Cross, was the very fact of man's sin and unlikeness 
to God. That claim was wholly broken by the Cross, 
and the curse of sin was lifted for all. Since the 
Cross it has been Satan's one advantage to blind those 
in his power as to the fact of the universal atonement 
for sin, and to secure an attitude of misunderstanding 
and rejection of this atonement that will keep man 
under the last and only condemnation : '* that they 
believe not on Me." 

Thus all " principalities and powers " were 
" spoiled " and " triiunphed over " in the Divine 
judgment of sin. Now the way of redemption is 
open to all who will come by the Cross. But it is 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 87 

this very value of the death of Christ that is the 
object of Satan's bhnding, and the Spirit alone can 
unveil the blinded unregenerate mind. This He 
does by convincing of the judgment of the Cross. 

It cannot be too strongly emphasized that the 
phase of the Gospel which Satan has veiled from 
" those that are perishing " is the way of life through 
the death of Christ, and that it is the same central 
truth which the Spirit would make real to " those 
that are perishing/' by convincing them " of sin, 
of righteousness and of judgment." 

It is not claimed in this connection that an 
unsaved person must come to know every phase of 
truth about the atonement of Christ before he is 
Divinely prepared for salvation ; but it is claimed 
that the Spirit proposes to make the meaning of the 
Cross sufficiently clear to that person to enable him 
to abandon all hope of self-works, and to turn to the 
finished work of Christ alone in inteUigent saving 
faith. The vision of redemptive truth was revealed 
to Paul directly from God, and there is a very real 
sense in which that truth must be directly revealed 
to every individual, that he may himself choose it 
as the only basis of his hope. The atoning sacrificial 
death of Christ as a distinct and sufficient founda- 
tion for salvation must become a reality before it 



88 TRUE EVANGELISM 

can become a finality in saving faith. And in 
convincing the world of sin, righteousness, and of 
judgment that truth is made real by the Spirit. 

What human argument or influence can convince 
Satan-blinded minds that to fail to believe on Jesus 
Christ is the all-condemning sin ? Surely that sin 
will not be seen in all its magnitude until the mind 
has been enlightened in regard to the Person of Christ 
and His atoning work. Thus only by the Spirit 
can any conception be had of all that is being 
rejected when they " believe not on Me." 

It is quite clear, then, that the sin of rejecting 
Christ is committed, in its most terrible form, by 
those who have a special vision, or realization, of 
Christ and His salvation. It is after having seen 
the Divinely wrought vision that the soul may 
** draw back unto perdition." 

No understanding of the illuminating work of the 
Spirit on the minds of the unsaved will be complete 
until the important agency or means used by the 
Spirit in that work is recognized. 

" The Word of God, which is the sword of the 
Spirit.*' Another sharp distinction must be made 
at this point, as in the enlightening and teaching 
work of the Spirit, between the whole Divine work 
for the saved and that small part of the same work 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 89 

that may be done for the unsaved as a preparation 
for salvation. The riches of the work for the saved 
can only be suggested here. 

To the saved the Word of God is a cleansing, 
sanctifying and reflecting power (John xiii. 10, 11 ; 
XV. 3 ; Eph. V. 25, 26 ; John xvii. 17 ; and 2 Cor. 
iii. 18). 

To the unsaved, the Word of God is the " sword 
of the Spirit " (Eph. vi. 17). 

As has been seen, the convicting work of the Spirit 
involves a radical change in the deepest part of 
man's being, where his motives and desires are 
first formed ; so that both an entirely new concep- 
tion of the God-provided grounds of redemption 
and a vision of the glorious Person of Christ are 
created. As both the Person and the work of Christ 
are presented in the Scriptures, it is only necessary 
for the Spirit to vitalize His own Word, either 
upon the printed page, or through the lips of His 
messenger, to bring a new light and possibility into 
the hitherto blinded mind. It is, therefore, said of 
the Word of God : " For the word of God is quick, 
and powerful (living and active, R.v.), and sharper 
than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the 
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of joints and 
marrow, and is a discemer of the thoughts and 



90 TRUE EVANGELISM 

intents of the heart " (Heb. iv. 12). The Word 
itself is however but the sword, and must be 
wielded by the Spirit to be effective. 

The fact that the Word of God, in the hands of the 
Spirit, is living and operative is the only warrant 
for any appeal to the unsaved ; and is a warning 
as well that the message, to be effective, must be in 
accord with the whole truth of God, that it may be 
used by the Spirit. It is a conspicuous fact that 
every successful soul-winner has been a fearless 
defender of every essential doctrine of the 
Scriptures. 

The skill of the evangelist or the pastor who would 
do the work of an evangelist, is seen in the ability 
to present the limited body of redemptive truth 
repeatedly, yet with freshness and variety. 

The evangelist is limited to that evangel which 
unfolds the cure of sin and the way of life by the 
substitutionary death of the Cross, since that is 
the only message which the Spirit can use, as His 
Sword in unveiling those eyes which are blinded 
to that particular truth. How helpless, then, in 
true soul-saving co-operation with God, is that 
person who has a heart of unbelief toward the blood 
of the Cross, or whose message has been beguiled away 
from the way of Hfe by Christ Jesus, to an appeal for 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 91 

morality, or religious ceremonials, which are the 
result of human energy and expediencies ! 

Jesus has commanded His own that are in the 
world to preach the Gospel of redemptive truth to 
every creature : yet their preaching is of no avail, 
save as it is accompanied with the convincing and 
illuminating work of the Spirit, and this work of the 
Spirit is dependent upon a ministry of the believer 
that is more important than preaching. This is the 
prayer of intercession. 

Thus it may be concluded on the question of the 
use of the Word in true evangelism that it is the 
work of the Spirit to present the sacrificial judgment 
of the Cross and the living glorious Person of Christ 
to the unsaved through the preaching of the Word. 
And where an individual would evade either the 
message of the Cross, or the essential Deity of 
Christ, there has been, and can be, no co-operation 
of the Spirit in convincing power, though every 
element of literary merit and human eloquence may 
be supplied. 

It is not a mere arbitrary caprice with God that 
there must be an intelligent appropriation of the 
work of Christ as the grounds of redemption : " For 
there is none other name under heaven given among 
men, whereby we must be saved " (Acts iv. 12). On 



92 TRUE EVANGELISM 

no other grounds can the mercy and grace of God be 
exercised in righteousness and justice. It follows, 
therefore, that the grounds of redemption must be 
sufficiently clear to each individual to elicit a repose 
of faith, and a willing deposit of all eternal interests 
into the saving power of Christ. No human argu- 
ment or teaching can dispel the satanic darkness 
that hinders saving faith, or create the new vision 
that is required. It is quite possible for a blinded 
soul to be religious, or even to pose as a minister of 
^ the Gospel ; yet, having never comprehended the 
way of life, to be " tossed to and fro by every wind 
of doctrine,*' and, though sincere, and possessing 
every other degree of human knowledge, to be in his 
blindness no more than the minister of Satan 
(2 Cor. xi. 13-15). 

The wide difference of appreciation of the Gospel 
that exists between people of equal mental attain- 
ments cannot be explained on the grounds of per- 
sonal temperament or training, else their various 
attitudes would be more or less permanent, when 
in reality the attitude of indifference is often sud- 
denly changed to a glowing fire. It need hardly be 
pointed out that unsaved men do not weigh the 
evidence of testimony and fact as accurately in 
matters relating to salvation as they do in any other 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 93 

sphere of investigation. In matters between men 
in the world the sworn testimony of two reliable 
witnesses demands a corresponding conclusion ; 
yet the obvious fact of regeneration and the willing 
testimony of multitudes, " whereas I was blind, now 
I see," creates no impression on others who are yet 
in their blindness. 

There is a reality in satanic blindness. But, blessed 
be God, there is a reality in Divine illumination ! 

It should be observed that, apart from Divine 
power, superficial decisions can easily be secured, 
and apparently great results accomplished ; for 
some minds are so dependent upon the opinions of 
others that the earnest dominating appeal of the 
evangelist, with the obvious value of a religious life, 
are sufficient to move them to follow almost any plan 
that is made to appear to be expedient. They may 
be urged to act on the vision of the way of life 
which the evangelist possesses, when they have 
received no sufficient vision for themselves. The 
experience of thousands of churches has proved that 
such decisions have not met the conditions of grace 
in *' beUeving with the heart " ; for the multitude 
of advertised converts have often failed, and these 
churches have had to face the problem of dealing 
with a class of disinterested people who possess no 



96 TRUE EVANGELISM 

Jesus Christ." Peter does not send for Cornelius : 
Cornelius reaches out for Peter. And Saul is led into 
the Hght almost without human aid or direction. 

In view of this all-important Divine preparation 
for salvation, it is clear that all evangelism, be it 
public ministry or personal work, which does not 
wait for the movings of the Spirit in the hearts of 
the unsaved is insomuch removed from true 
co-operation with God, and is in danger of hindering 
more souls than it blesses. 

Such a waiting on God and for God as is necessary 
for true co-operation with the Spirit, although it 
may shatter the evangelist's claim to large numbers 
of converts, will tend to wean the church away from 
her dependence upon spasmodic periods of concern 
for the lost into a true and more constant attitude 
of fruit-bearing. 

The Scriptures furnish us with examples of true 
evangelism, the results of which were reported many 
centuries ago when it was said : *' And the Lord 
added to the church daily such as should be saved *' 
(Acts ii. 47). This blessed condition wiU always 
result when believers depend upon the Lord to add 
to the church and they ** continue steadfastly in 
the apostles* doctrine and fellowship and in breaking 
of bread and in prayers " (Acts ii. 42). 



THE 
PRAYER OF INTERCESSION 



94 TRUE EVANGELISM 

new dynamic, nor any of the blessings of the truly 
regenerate life. 

It is possible to reverently repeat the most pious 
phrases and assume devotional attitudes and yet 
have the inner life in no way correspondingly 
moved. All such exercise, though producing appa- 
rent results, is of no avail in real salvation ; for the 
Spirit has not wrought in such a mind to the end that 
the utterance of those words become the expression 
of the greatest crisis of the inner life, and the only 
adequate relief for that soul's sense of utter helpless- 
ness and burning thirst for the water of life. 

A few genuine decisions may occur among the 
many, and these have always justified the wholesale 
evangelizing method. There is, however, a very 
grave harm done to those who are thus superficially 
effected, and this harm may sometimes outweigh 
the good that is done. In reply to this it is argued 
that nothing can outweigh the value of one soul that 
is saved ; yet when the harm of a false decision is 
analysed, it will be seen that the after-state of 
bewilderment and discouragement which results in 
an attitude that is almost unapproachable and hope- 
less, has its unmeasured results as well. 

The Gospel will always prove, in this age, '* a 
savour of death unto death " as well as of " life 



THE CONVICTING OF THE SPIRIT 95 

unto life ** ; for some, even upon whom the Spirit 
has wrought in conviction, will reject the way of 
life. But there is no expectation in the evangelism 
of Scripture, that souls are to be hurried into unreali- 
ties and be misguided in their blindness. God has 
faithfully provided the one all-sufficient preparation 
for a full and intelligent decision in the ministry 
of the Spirit who came to convict the world of sin, 
of righteousness, and of judgment. 

The examples of soul-winning in the New Testa- 
ment present a conspicuous contrast to the usual 
evangehsm of to-day. Then there seemed to be no 
urging or coaxing, nor was any person dealt with 
individually who had not first given evidence of a 
Divinely-wrought sense of need. It is recorded that 
Peter directed the converts at Pentecost in the way 
of life after they were ** pricked in their hearts, and 
said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles. Men and 
brethren, what shall we do ? " So also there is no 
record that Paul and Silas made themselves obnoxious 
to the Philippian jailor by urging him to become a 
Christian before he had any such desire ; but rather, 
after a great change had taken place in his whole atti- 
tude which compelled him to fall trembHngly before 
them and say : " Sirs, what must I do to be saved ? " 
did they personally direct him to ' ' beUeve on the Lord 



CHAPTER IV 

THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION 

IN this attempt to consider the successive 
■^ aspects of the movements of the " power of 
God unto salvation," it has already been seen that 
true evangelism must face the humanly impossible 
task of lifting the satanic veil that rests upon all 
unregenerate minds in oimection with the one 
subject of " the Gospel." This blinding of Satan 
having been imposed at this one point for the 
sufficient reason that " the Gospel " is the revelation 
of the only way of escape for sinful man from the 
power of Satan unto God — by this blindness both 
the " good news " of the finished work upon the Cross 
and the glory of the living Christ, in His present 
position as Intercessor and Advocate, have been 
obscured. On the other hand, it has been seen that 
there is a Divinely provided illumination by the 
Spirit which causes the same " good news " of the 
finished work and the present glory of Christ to 
become a reality to the hitherto blinded mind. 

99 



100 TRUE EVANGELISM 

The unveiling of the Gospel by the Spirit is 
necessary and reasonable. For the conditions of 
saving faith are no less than a deposit of the whole 
being into the saving power of Christ ; and, while 
superficial decisions may be secured through mere 
human influence and power, there will be no complete 
repose of faith until the way is made plain by the 
enlightenment of the Spirit. 

It is true that no man can know the Father, in 
soul rest, save the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son 
will reveal Him (Matt. xi. 27, 28). This is the basis 
of all fellowship with God. It is equally true of the 
unsaved that no man can come to Christ as Saviour 
except the Father draw him (John vi. 44). Again, 
"It is written in the prophets. And they shall all 
be taught of God. Every man therefore that hath 
heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto 
me " (John vi. 45). 

In view of the appalling absence of personal con- 
cern on the part of the multitude of unsaved, in 
spite of the ever-increasing ministry of preaching 
and exhortation, every serious soul-winner will, 
sooner or later, raise the question : *' What, then, 
hinders the Spirit from performing His office work of 
convincing the world of sin, and of righteousness, and 
of judgment " ? The answer to this central question 



THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION loi 

in modern evangelism is found in that subject which 
is the next step in the successive aspects of the power 
of God unto salvation, as they are here being con- 
sidered in their reverse order. That subject is the 
Prayer of Intercession. 

There are but three possible ways in which the 
believer can fulfil the God-appointed human part 
in seeking the lost. These are : prayer, personal 
effort or influence, and giving. Both the first 
and the last are world-wide in their scope, while the 
other is limited to the locality and opportunity of 
the individual. There can never be a question as 
to the relative value of these various lines of service, 
for the ministry of prayer is continually open to every 
believer, and is only limited in its possibilities by 
the feeble faith of man. There is much in Scripture 
that emphasizes the importance of preaching the 
Word as a means unto salvation, and this ministry 
has sometimes been thought to be the greatest human 
service in evangelism ; but it is evident that there 
must be more than the human statement of the 
truth. The Spirit must wield His mighty Sword 
and that work of the Spirit, to a large extent, is 
subject to believing prayer. 

A Christian, as has been mentioned in a previous 
chapter, is, from the moment of his salvation, con- 



102 TRUE EVANGELISM 

stituted a Royal Priest unto God. The meaning 
and scope of his position can be better understood 
by referring to the Aaronic Priesthood under the 
law, for the Old Testament priesthood is a type of 
the royal priesthood under grace. 

That there is a royal priesthood under grace 
is revealed in the following Scriptures : '* But ye are 
a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy 
nation, a peculiar people ; that ye should shew 
forth the praises (virtues) of Plim Who hath called 
you out of darkness into His marvellous light " 
(i Pet. ii. 9). "Ye also, as lively stones, are built 
up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up 
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus 
Christ " (i Pet. ii. 5). " And he made us to be kings 
and priests unto God and His Father ; to Him be 
glory and dominion for ever and ever " (Rev. i. 6). 
" Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities : for 
we know not what we should pray for as we ought : 
but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with 
groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that 
searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the 
Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints 
according to the will of God " (Rom. viii. 26, 27). 

The essential truth concerning the priesthood under 
grace is suggested in these passages. Here it is seen as 



THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION 103 

composed of the members of the body of Christ, which 
is His church. A " chosen generation " speaks of 
their position by the new birth ; a " royal priest- 
hood " and " kings and priests " of their office ; 
a " holy nation " and a " holy priesthood " of their 
necessary cleansing ; and a " pecuhar people " of 
their essential heavenly character, as distinguished 
from the people of the world. So again, " lively 
stones " speaks of their individual responsibility 
and service ; " offer spiritual sacrifices '* and the 
** intercession by the Spirit " speak of their min- 
istry ; while the words " acceptable to God by Jesus 
Christ " speak of the rent veil, their access to God, 
and of their " boldness to enter into the holiest by 
the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which 
He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that 
is to say, His flesh " (Heb. x. 19, 20). 

Returning to these important teachings to consider 
them in the same order, and more at length, it will 
be seen : 

I. A '' Chosen Generation*' 

Like the Aaronic priest under the law, the New 
Testament priest is born to his position. He is 
constituted a priest unto God as a part of the salva- 
tion that is in Jesus Christ. His position and his 



104 TRUE EVANGELISM 

privileges, therefore, begin with his new birth into 
the nature and family of God. It is most important 
to emphasize the truth that every believer is a priest 
unto God, though he may never intelligently exercise 
his glorious privilege. The full realization of this 
position, so far as it affects prayer, is one of the 
greatest needs among believers to-day. It is more 
than a belief in the general efficacy of prayer. It 
is to be able to say " I know God wiU do His greatest 
works solely in answer to my prayer." 

//. ^ " Royal Priesthood " and " Kings and Priests.'* 

The New Testament priesthood is an office. This 
is in marked contrast to the believer's gifts for 
service. The contrast is seen in the fact that 
those things which constitute the ministry of the 
priest are the privilege and duty of all believers 
ahke : while the gifts for service are bestowed by the 
Spirit ** as He will " (Rom. xii. 3-8 ; i Cor. xii. 4-1 1). 
Not all behevers have the same gift for service : but 
all are privileged to minister in the priestly office. 
Not all have the gift of teaching, or of heaHng ; 
but aU have access in prayer. 

///. A ** Holy Nation " and a " Holy Priesthood." 

The importance of cleansing for the exercise of 
the priestly office under grace is seen through the 



THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION 105 

words " a holy priesthood." It is seen both as it is 
foreshadowed in the demands for laving and purifica- 
tion of the Old Testament priest, and in the fact that 
the ministry of the New Testament priest is also 
in the holiest place, and is directed unto God. In 
that holy place the least taint of sin or defilement 
cannot be allowed, though a degree of unfitness 
might not hinder the exercise of gifts where the 
service is only to men. 

IV. A ** Peculiar People." 

No greater evidence of the mighty transformation 
that is wrought by salvation can be found than the 
fact that the privilege is granted to him who is 
saved of entering the holiest place where Christ is 
already entered in, and is there making intercession 
for His own who are in the world. Only those who 
have partaken of the Divine nature by regeneration 
and have come, by grace, to be heavenly in being 
and destiny could be so favoured. 

V. ** Lively Stones." 

As the ministry of gifts in the church is individual, 
even world-wide evangelism being committed to 
each believer, rather than to the church as a body, 
so there is no present service for the New Testament 



io6 TRUE EVANGELISM 

priests as a whole ; but their service is individual, 
as their cleansing and fitness must be. 

VI. To " Offer Spiritual Sacrifices ** and the '' Inter- 
cession by the Spirit.'* 

The Old Testament priest was sanctified and 
cleansed that he might offer sacrifices and enter the 
" Holy of holies " to intercede for others ; so the New 
Testament priest is appointed to offer sacrifices in 
three particulars : (a) His own body : "I beseech 
you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, 
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, 
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship ** 
(Rom. xii. i, R.V., with margin. See also Phil. 
ii. 17 ; 2 Tim. iv. 6 ; James i. 27). (b) His wor- 
ship : "By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of 
praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our 
lips giving thanks to His name " (Heb. xiii. 15). 
(c) His substance : " But to do good and to 
communicate forget not : for with such sacrifice 
God is well pleased " (Heb. xiii. 16) ; " But I 
have all and abound : I am full, having received of 
Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, 
an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, 
well pleasing to God " (Phil. iv. 18). 

The New Testament priest is also an intercessor, 



THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION 107 

which, as the word implies, differs from a suppHcator 
who may pray wholly for himself. The inter- 
cessor bears the burden and need of others before 
God, and intercedes in their behalf. No human 
wisdom is sufficient for this ministry in the holiest 
place ; for " we know not what to pray for as we 
ought " ; but God has anticipated our inabihty 
and provided the energizing Spirit Who *' maketh 
intercession for us," and " according to the will of 
God " (Rom. viii. 26, 27). 

VII. " Acceptable unto God by Jesus Christ.** 

How much is required in those searching words, 
** acceptable to God " ! Yet how perfect is the 
believer's fitting '* by Jesus Christ " ! Only some 
personal defilement uncleansed, or sin unconfessed 
can hinder the exercise of the priestly office by the 
least of all believers. " By Jesus Christ " he has 
been made " acceptable to God," and only personal 
pollution can now hinder the realization of those 
precious privileges in the presence of God. 

All evangelism must begin with prayer. And 
no human service, or device, can take the place of 
the intercession of a priest who is cleansed, and 
** acceptable to God," even in the holiest place " by 
Jesus Christ." 



io8 TRUE EVANGELISM 

While the beUever-priest may mtercede in behalf 
of his fellow-members of the body of Christ, he, too, 
may intercede for the lost ; and the answer to that 
prayer will be the going forth of the Spirit to convince 
them of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. 

The importance of preaching and teaching the 
truth is in no way lessened by this emphasis upon 
priestly prayer. It must only be borne in mind that 
prevailing prayer necessarily precedes all other 
ministry ; for it alone commands the power of God, 
and secures the needed illumination of the mind 
toward the Word that may be preached. Without 
prayer there can be little understanding and vision 
of the Gospel, even though faithfully presented. 

The reason for human intercession in the Divine 
plan has not been wholly revealed. The repeated 
statements of Scripture that it is a necessary link in 
the chain that carries the Divine energy into the 
impotent souls of men, in addition to its actual 
achievement as seen in the world, must be the 
sufficient evidence of the imperative need of the 
prayer in connection with the purpose of God. 
Thus in Scripture and in experience it is revealed 
that God has honoured man with an exalted place 
of co-operation and partnership with Himself in 
His great projects of human transformation. 



THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION 109 

Among the many direct and positive promises 
wherein the activity of the Divine power is con- 
ditioned on human faithfulness in prayer but one 
will here be quoted and considered. 

In John xiv. 14, it is written : " If ye shall ask 
anything in My name, I will do it " (see also John 
XV. 7 ; xvi. 23, 24 ; and Luke xi. 9). In this 
Scripture the assignment of both the Divine and 
the human part in the work is clearly seen ; for the 
mere outline of this passage is, "If ye shall ask, 
. . . I will do." Thus God reserves to Himself 
the undertaking and accomplishment of every object 
of human intercession, and assigns to man the service 
of prayer. This is quite reasonable ; for it is 
evident that the accomplishment of any spiritual 
transformation must ever be His to do, since its 
consummation is possible to Divine strength alone. 
Thus, though man cannot do the important task, 
he is permitted, through intercession, to co-operate 
with God in its accomplishment, and to fulfil, accord- 
ing to revelation, a necessary part in the Divine 
programme. 

It should be noted that, under these conditions 
and relationships, every true prayer is not only an 
acknowledgment of God as the only sufficient One, 
but it demands an attitude of entire expectation 



no TRUE EVANGELISM 

from Him on the part of the supplicant. This is 
essential if normal relations are to exist between 
God and man. The answer to prayer, when the 
expectation is not wholly toward God, would but 
divert the confidence of man, and foster a false 
trust in his mind. It is necessary for man, therefore, 
in the interests of his own understanding of God and 
truth, to come directly to God, acknowledging His 
Omnipotence, and looking to Him as alone sufficient 
to do the thing for which he may be praying. 

Again, it may be seen from this promise that God, 
to some extent, has seen fit to condition His action 
upon the believer's prayer ; for the Scripture 
says : " If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will 
do it ** ; and this is the secret of all true evangelism. 

There is another promise bearing directly on this 
point : "If any man see his brother sin a sin which 
is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him 
life for them that sin not unto death. There is a 
sin unto death : I do not say that he shall pray for 
it " (I John V. i6). 

It is, then, the teaching of Scripture that the mighty 
doing power of God in convicting and illuminating 
the unsaved is also, in a large measure, dependent 
upon the priestly intercession of the believer. This, 
too, is a conspicuous fact in experience as revealed 



THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION iii 

in history. Where believing prayer has been offered 
with expectation toward God alone, there has always 
been evidence of the power of God unto salvation, 
according to His covenant promises. These periods 
of refreshing have been called " revivals." The 
immediate blessing resulting from the adjustment of 
believers to the programme of God is natural ; 
but the sure return to an attitude of indifference, 
on the human side, has made that brief season of 
blessing seem to be some special visitation from 
heaven v/hen God was thought to have been " on 
the giving hand." It may have been impossible, 
in such a case, for the extra meetings and methods 
to have continued ; but the blessing was in no way 
conditioned on the meetings or methods. Inter- 
cessory prayer, the real basis of the blessing, could 
and should have continued. The marvellous, and 
so little experienced movings of the Spirit upon the 
unsaved are at the command of the least of God's 
children, if that one be cleansed ; for such a believer 
is a priest unto God, and there is no condition in 
Scripture upon his intercession of times and seasons. 
How little the stupendous fact of this individual 
power in prayer is realized by Christians to-day ! 
The present failure to enter the holy place in inter- 
cession according to the appointment of God, on the 



112 TRUE EVANGELISM 

part of Christians, is sufficient to account for the 
present lack of Holy Ghost conviction and conversion 
in the church. 

The neglect and ignorance of the facts regarding 
the believer's privileges in prayer, when those facts 
are so clearly stated in the Scriptures, can be 
explained only in the light of the revealed satanic 
opposition to the purpose of God ; for intercessory 
prayer is a strategic point for the attack of this arch 
enemy, inasmuch as the mighty movements of the 
Spirit for salvation are, for the present time, awaiting 
this human co-operation. 

If there are exceptions in the history of * revivals ** 
where there have been what seemed to be unprayed- 
for out-pourings of the Spirit, in no case can it be 
proved that prayer was not offered. In every case 
where the Spirit seemed to descend upon the church 
with sovereign power, there has been either an 
appalling spiritual death in the church, or a new 
emphasis has been needed upon some neglected 
truth in evangelism. Such seasons have been so 
rare in the history of the church that they can be 
counted only as exceptions, and should in no way be 
used to qualify the revealed plan of God, which He 
has blessed throughout the years. 

Not only are the priceless results of the saving 



THE PRAYER OF INTERCESSION 113 

power of God hindered, but the individual believer 
has suffered unmeasured loss in his possible reward, 
when the prayer of intercession has for any reason 
ceased ; for prayer presents the greatest opportunity 
for soul-winning, and there is precious reward 
promised to those who bring souls to Christ, and 
are found to be suffering with Him in His burden 
for the lost. 



SUFFERING WITH CHRIST 



CHAPTER V 

SUFFERING WITH CHRIST 

IT should not be concluded from what has gone 
before that there is no other God-appointed 
human service in behalf of the lost than the prayer 
of intercession. It is claimed, however, that inter- 
cessory prayer is the first and all-rmportant service 
according to Scripture. The Divine order is to talk 
to God about men, until the door is definitely open 
to talk to men about God. Any service which He 
may appoint after believing prayer has been offered 
will be wonderfully blessed by Him. But to intrude 
upon strangers, unless positively led to do so, or 
to implore unwilling and unprepared men, is to 
display a zeal without knowledge, and is fraught 
with peril to immortal souls. Such boldness is 
often urged and commended as being a high form 
of Christian service ; yet no Spirit-filled person can 
rush ahead of the movements of God without a deep 
sense of protest from the Spirit Who indwells him. 
It is not altogether due to personal diffidence that 

1x7 



ii8 TRUE EVANGELISM 

true believers often find it difficult to speak to the 
unsaved about their need of Christ. There is a 
restraint upon such service ; for if the unsaved are 
not prepared by the Spirit, any attempt to force a 
decision will be a violation of the Divine order. 

If space could be given here to incidents illustrat- 
ing the necessity of waiting on God and for God 
as the first effort to be made for the salvation of 
any person, it would be apparent that the prepara- 
tion of one soul may require many years, or this 
preparation may be accomplished in another in as 
many hours ; but in no case has it ever been advan- 
tageous to press the decision until some evidence is 
given that the preparation is complete. Such quiet 
waiting will always be rewarded ; for, as in the days 
of the Acts of the Apostles, there will be some clear 
indication from the illuminated person that the heart 
is prepared which will perfectly open the way for any 
necessary word to be spoken that will direct that 
heart to its acceptance of Christ. Coaxing and 
pleading will be found to be unnecessary, for the soul 
will be thirsting for the Water of Life. 

The precious service of leading the enlightened 
person to a decision is often appointed to the one 
who has first suffered for that person in intercession. 
This is the real place of so-called " personal work," 



SUFFERING WITH CHRIST 119 

and too much cannot be said of the value of the 
careful preparation and instruction of every believer 
for this particular service, for there is need of great 
clearness and skill in explaining the exact terms of 
the Gospel to the one upon whom the Spirit is moving 
in conviction and illumination. A distinction should 
be made, however, betv/een directing a convicted 
and burdened soul to Christ, and forcing an issue 
upon one who is unprepared by the Spirit. 

The burden of heart that can find no peace 
because of the lost condition of some individual is 
the highest form of human suffering, and is several 
times referred to in Scripture. There this burden for 
the lost is seen, not only to form a part of human 
suffering, but to be a normal experience in the life 
of every saved person. That it is not a common 
experience among Christians to-day can be explained 
only by the fact that there are abnormal conditions 
in many Christian lives. 

The reality of human suffering and its place in a 
Christian's life is so vital a part of true evangelism, 
and occupies so conspicuous a place in the New 
Testament, that it should be considered sufficiently 
at length to distinguish that particular part of 
suffering which has to do with salvation of the lost 
from its other aspects. 



120 TRUE EVANGELISM 

The believer may suffer much for Christ. This 
form of suffering may include the involuntary 
sacrifice of the loss of friends, property, reputation, 
or health, and the voluntary sacrifice or separation 
from loved ones, gifts, humiliation and faithful 
service, even unto death. It is stated in Phil. i. 29 
that such suffering is a gift to the believer : " Unto 
you it is given in behalf of Christ, not only to believe 
on Him, but also to suffer for His sake." Unto you 
it is given to be parted from loved ones in the world- 
wide ministry of the Gospel, to become poor that 
others may become rich, to suffer separation or 
privation as a sacrifice for Him. 

This form of suffering was experienced by the 
Lord of Glory, and to those who are in the midst of 
these afilictions it is said : " The sufferings of this 
present time are not worthy to be compared with 
the glory that shall be revealed in us " ; and " Our 
light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh 
for us a far more and exceeding weight of glory." 

The suffering of a Christian according to the 
Scriptures is primarily suffering with Christ. This 
is attested by various passages (i Pet. iv. 13 ; Rom. 
viii. 17 ; Col. i. 24 ; Phil. ii. 5-9 ; and 2 Tim. ii. 
12). The important word used in connection with 
the believer's relation to Christian suffering is **with/' 



SUFFERING WITH CHRIST 121 

and that word emphasizes the necessary distinction 
that much of the suffering in the world is ahen to 
fellowship with Christ. On the other hand, this word 
suggests a vital union and Divine co-partnership 
between the suffering believer and His suffering Lord. 

In suffering with Christ the Christian may either 
suffer from man the reproaches of Christ, or he 
may come to experience with Christ a Divinely 
wrought burden and sorrow for the lost. Beyond 
this it is impossible for any believer to go in the 
mystery of the sufferings of Christ ; for what He 
suffered from God in becoming Himself an offering 
for sin could not be shared by any other, though one 
might greatly desire a similar ministry. See 
Rom. ix. 1-3. 

Suffering with Christ is a natural phase of a 
Christian's life and experience. He is sojourning 
in an enemy's land, is called to be a witness against 
its sin, and is summoned to labour that souls may 
be saved from its evil and darkness. " If the world 
hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated 
you. If ye were of the world, the world would 
love his own ; but because ye are not of the world, 
but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore 
the world hateth you " (John xv. 18, 19). To those 
who did not believe on Him He said : " The world 



122 TRUE EVANGELISM 

cannot hate you ; but Me it hateth, because I 
testify of it, that the works thereof are evil " (John 
vii. 7). *' It is enough for the disciple that he be as 
his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have 
called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much 
more shall they caU them of his household ? " (Matt. 
X. 25). " As thou hast sent Me into the world, even 
so have I also sent them into the world " (John xvii. 
18). " Beloved, think it not strange concerning 
the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some 
strange thing happened unto you ; but rejoice, 
inasmuch as you are partakers in Christ's sufferings, 
that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be 
glad with exceeding joy " (i Pet. iv. 12, 13). 

So also, as is seen by these passages, suffering 
with Christ here is the only possible path into the 
reward of being glorified together with Him over 
there. This is not salvation, for salvation cannot be 
gained by any degree of human suffering. It is 
rather the glorious crown and reward to be given 
to the faithful in their co-partnership with Christ. 
This truth is emphasized in the following passage : 
" Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ 
Jesus : who being in the form of God, thought it not 
robbery to be equal with God ; but made Himself of 
no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a 



SUFFERING WITH CHRIST 123 

servant, and was made in the likeness of man : and 
being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself 
and became obedient unto death, even the death of 
the Cross. Wherefore God hath highly exalted Him, 
and given Him a name which is above every name : 
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things 
under the earth ; and every tongue should confess 
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the 
Father" (Phil. ii. 5-11). 

Here it is inferred that the believer is to allow the 
mind of Christ to be reproduced in him by the power 
of God (Phil. ii. 13), and these seven successive steps 
in the path of Christ, from His native place in the 
glory to the felon's death on the cross, are reviewed in 
this Scripture only that such steps may be admitted 
in the Christian's life, who is to be " as his Lord " 
even in this world! It is also inferred in this passage 
that, through this relation to Jesus in suffering, 
there is to be an identity with Him in His glory. 
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that 
we are the children of God : and if children, then 
heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ ; 
if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be 
also glorified together. For I reckon that the suffer- 
ings of the present time are not worthy to be 



124 TRUE EVANGELISM 

compared with the glory which shall be revealed in 
us" (Rom. viii. 16-18). "It is a faithful saying: 
For if we be dead with Him, we shall also live with 
Him : if we suffer, we shall also reign with Him : 
if we deny Him, He also will deny us " (2 Tim. ii. 
II, 12). 

Suffering was the ministry to which Paul was 
appointed by the Lord through the disciple Ananias 
when the Lord commanded Ananias : "Go thy 
way : for he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My 
name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children 
of Israel : for I will shew him how great things he 
must suffer for My Name's sake '* (Acts ix. 15, 16). 

Thus it may be concluded that, while all the 
mystery of suffering is not explained, and probably 
cannot be, it is an essential part of the Christian's 
life and union with Christ in this world, and of 
identification with Him in His glory. 

Of that suffering which is from man and because 
of the believer's relation and loyalty to Christ it is 
said : " Beloved, think it not strange concerning 
the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some 
strange thing happened unto you : but rejoice, 
inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings ; 
that when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be 
glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached 



SUFFERING WITH CHRIST 125 

for the name of Christ, happy are ye ; for the 
spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you : on 
their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he 
is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, 
or a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a busybody in 
other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a 
Christian, let him not be ashamed ; but let him 
glorify God on this behalf " (i Pet. iv. 12-16). 

It is, however, sympathetic suffering that enters 
most directly into the movements of the power of 
God in evangelism. As a mother's face may reflect 
more pain than the face of her suffering child, so there 
is an unlimited realm of possible suffering in sym- 
pathy and burden for another. This highest and 
deepest suffering is bom of two parents, which are 
love and appreciation. The brute may love its 
offspring, but cannot appreciate its sufferings ; while 
a savage may appreciate pain, but cares nothing for 
the suffering one. To the one who both knows and 
feels there is revealed a degree of the mystery of 
suffering in sympathy. 

When the sufferings of Christ are contemplated in 
the light of this simple fact, it will be seen that back 
of the Cross is, first, the infinite wisdom, vision and 
power to appreciate on the part of God. He com- 
prehended man's sin, his eternal ruin, and necessary 



126 TRUE EVANGELISM 

banishment from His presence. And second, He 
loved the world of men enough to act mightUy in 
their behalf. That He loved them is the reason 
for His effort for them. That He appreciated their 
terrible need was the warrant for the particular thing 
He did. The measure of His appreciation and love 
is unbounded ; for '' He bore our sins in His own 
body on the tree," which reveals the reality of our 
sins as viewed by an infinite God. He became the 
propitiation for the sins of the whole world. 

It was not the love of God alone that was revealed 
in the Cross, His eternal wisdom and Godhead are 
seen as well by the particular thing which He did 
for man's redemption. In the Cross He also disclosed 
His estimate of man's need. So the Cross is, in the 
mind and heart of the Infinite, both a warning of 
doom and a wooing of love ; and it is no credit to 
finite man that he denies the voice of the Infinite, 
rejects His verdict of human hopelessness, and 
misinterprets the value and vision of the death of 
Christ. 

The dominant motive that prompted the sufferings 
of Christ was revealed in one of His prayers at the 
Cross. Had His suffering been physical alone, His 
prayer might have been. Father, they are causing 
Me physical pain ; or had His sufferings been His 



SUFFERING WITH CHRIST 127 

personal sacrifice alone, He might have prayed, 
Father, they are taking My life from Me : in reality 
He prayed, " Father, forgive them, they know not 
what they do." And while the sufferings of His 
body and the sacrifice of His life constituted an 
offering for sin, " once for all," these were prompted 
by the Divine vision of human need and His yearning 
compassion for lost and ruined men ; for He prayed 
not for Himself, but for them. In that mysterious 
suffering for the sin of the world no human can suffer 
with Christ. That suffering was final and complete. 
It can only be beUeved in and appropriated by the 
one who has come to reahze his own share in it. 

When a soul has come under the shadow, and 
received the redemption of the Cross, that one is 
then privileged to suffer with Christ in a compassion 
for the lost ; being also prompted, in some measure, 
by the same Divine vision and love, through the 
presence and power of the indwelling Spirit. 

This is illustrated by the testimony of the Apostle 
Paul in Rom. ix. 1-3 : "I say the truth in Christ, 
I He not, my conscience also bearing me witness in 
the Holy Ghost, that I have great heaviness and 
continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that 
myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, 
my kinsmen according to the flesh." 



128 TRUE EVANGELISM 

Much is said in the preceding context of the 
power and blessing of the Spirit indwelling the 
Christian. In this passage, however, He is seen 
lifting the Apostle Paul to the same view-point that 
Christ occupied, when He was willing to be accursed 
that lost men might be saved, and which He ex- 
perienced when He cried, " My God, my God, why 
hast Thou forsaken me ? ** From this point of 
Divine vision Paul longs, too, with an unutterable 
longing to make some sufficient sacrifice, even an 
impossible and terrible separation from Christ his 
Lord, if only his brethren, his kinsmen after the 
flesh, might be saved. This attitude of agonized 
suffering for the salvation of his brethren was not 
an element of the human nature of Saul, who found 
his delight in the condemnation and execution of his 
brethren when they were found to be followers of 
Jesus ; nor is this Divine touch found in any 
unregenerate life. It is " The love of God shed 
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is 
given unto us,*' or in reality, the very love of God 
reaching out for the lost through the believer. This 
experience of Paul's is possible to others. By the 
IndweUing One, the believer may come both to 
appreciate the lost estate of men and to experience 
a Divine compassion for them. 



SUFFERING WITH CHRIST 129 

Suffering with Christ, then, in its deepest meaning, 
is to come to experience by the Spirit an unutteraV' 
agony for men out of Christ, and from that vi 
and love to be wilhng to offer personal sacrifice (. 
endure physical pain, if need be, that they may bt 
saved. This is as near to *' a cross " as the Christiai 
can come in experience ; for he can make no atone 
ment, nor is human atonement needed. As his 
eyes are opened and his heart is made sensitive 
to the indescribable need of any soul out of Christ, 
he has, to that extent, experienced the Divine 
compassion " shed abroad in his heart." Such 
suffering with Christ is the heritage of every 
regenerate soul. 

One has but to recall the spiritual agony of soul, 
like the physical pain of a woman in travail, that 
has borne down upon believers in the great ingather- 
ings of history in connection with the birth o souls 
to understand the reality of Divinely wrought 
suffering with Christ, which is granted to the believer, 
and is the sure warrant of identification with Him 
in His glory. So, whenever a believer is prepared 
to receive this great gilt of suffering with Christ, it 
will be granted unto him to such a degree, and at 
such times as he is able to bear it. All pity for 
those Christians who, through want of adjustment 



130 TRUE EVANGELISM 

to the mind and purpose of God, are never so 
privileged ! 

There is a great lost world of individuals sur- 
rounding every believer, and if his heart is attuned 
to the Spirit that indwells him, he cannot but suffer 
at times with Christ in an agony of soul that they 
may be saved. That soul-anguish in a believer 
may find its expression only in '* groanings that 
cannot be uttered." In this extremity, he will be 
driven into the holiest place, and he will find no 
relief except in the prieatly prayer of intercession. 

Through such intercession the Spirit is covenanted 
to go forward to deal with unregenerate men, and 
by His mighty Sword strike the blindness from their 
eyes, and bring them face to face with the salvation 
that is in Jesus Christ. 

Here it will be observed that this Divine burden 
for the lost is a very uncommon experience among 
believers to-day ; and the solution of this problem is 
found in the last step that marks the movements of 
the " power of God unto salvation.*' The difficulty 
lies with the defilement of the priests before God who 
do not and cannot, because of their own unfitness, 
experience the love of God for others, or prevail with 
God in the holy place. 



THE 
CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 



CHAPTER VI 

THE CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 

T^HE various conditions on which the answer to 
prayer depends, as set forth in the New Testa- 
ment, require an experience in the suppHcant of com- 
mon vision and sympathy with the mind and will of 
God. " If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you, ' ' 
is a condition which demands a relation to God on 
the part of the individual, wherein both the present 
leading of God is reahzed and His written will is 
known. To abide in Christ is to keep His com- 
mandments (John XV. lo), and to be in close fellow- 
ship with Him. To have His Word abiding in us 
is to be instructed in the Scriptures ; and to one who 
has thus been brought into full sympathy with the 
purpose of God, it can safely be said, " Ye shall 
ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." 
This promise of prayer, then, is not unlimited, as is 
sometimes supposed, but is qualified by a required 
adjustment to the will of God of the mind and heart 
of the one who prays. So, also, the oft-repeated 

133 



134 TRUE EVANGELISM 

condition, ** In My name " admits of only such 
themes in prayer as can reasonably be coupled with 
the glory of Christ and the projects of His unfinished 
work in the world. 

Another condition of prayer is given in Mark xi. 24 : 
*' Therefore I say unto you, What things soever 
ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive 
them, and ye shall have them." This condition 
does not include every subject of prayer ; for it 
would be impossible to believe that God would grant 
anything inconsistent with His own purpose or 
Being. Yet with all this nearness to the mind of 
God there will be many legitimate objects of prayer, 
concerning the wisdom of which the believer must 
ever be in doubt ; for all requests in prayer naturally 
fall into two classes at the point of the known will 
of God. When there is no revelation, the supplicator 
can never pass the boundary of the qualifying 
words, " Thy will, not mine, be done." But when 
there is a revelation of the will of God, this boundary 
is done away ; and to be uncertain of the will of 
God, when His will is clearly revealed, is but to 
doubt the Word through which He has made it 
manifest. 

The priestly intercession of the believer, which is 
a necessary element in true evangelism, falls in the 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 135 

realm of this latter phase of prayer. This prayer is 
nothing less than the mighty movings of the " power 
of God unto salvation," since the Spirit indites 
the intercession. It is a glorious human co-partner- 
ship with the Divine Shepherd in His solicitude and 
effort to seek the lost. 

Every possible question as to the Divine will in 
the salvation, sanctification and glorification of 
men has been wholly answered in the revelation of 
the heart of God through the sacrifice of the Cross. 
*' His eternal power and Godhead " were revealed 
in the things created ; " For the invisible things of 
Him from the creation of the world were clearly 
seen, being understood by the things that are made, 
even His eternal power and Godhead " (Rom. i. 20). 
His soul-saving compassion and desire for helpless 
men was revealed in the Cross of Christ ; as it is 
written : "No man hath seen God at any time ; 
the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the 
Father, He hath declared Him " (John i. 18). *' For 
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begot- 
ten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should 
not perish, but have everlasting life " (John iii. 16). 
** For this is good and acceptable in the sight of 
God our Saviour ; Who will have all men to be 
saved, and to come into the knowledge of the truth " 



136 TRUE EVANGELISM 

(i Tim. ii. 3, 4). " God was in Christ, reconciling 
the world unto Himself " (2 Cor. v. 19). 

From the foregoing Scriptures it may be seen that 
there has been a completion of all the grounds of 
salvation, and a sufficient revelation of the purpose 
and will of God for the redemption of all men 
through the Cross of Christ ; and since His covenant- 
promises, relating to prayer, are still in force, it is 
clear that all hindrances to the movements of God 
in salvation must be due to some failure on the 
human side. Either the believers do not meet their 
high privilege in the holy place, or the unsaved, 
when convicted, reject the vision that is given unto 
them. Since there is little evidence of any new 
vision received, or rejected, on the part of the 
unregenerate, the solution of the question as to 
why there is not more saving power among believers 
to-day must be sought for in the realm of the 
believer's ministry of intercession. 

It has already been pointed out that, while there 
may be little demand for purification in the exercise 
of gifts, where the service is only between man and 
man, there can be no entering into the holy place 
without the laving or removal of defilement, which 
God alone may see. This cleansing has been 
typified by the laver that stood at the entrance to 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 137 

the " Holy of holies '* in the tabernacle of old. The 
necessity of that special cleansing of the priest 
before he approached the presence of Jehovah 
** in the tent of meeting " was emphasized by the 
penalty of death if the cleansing was neglected. 
The passage in Ex. xxx. 17-21 is here given : 

*' And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Thou 
shalt also make a laver of brass, and his foot also of 
brass, to wash withal : and thou shalt put it between 
the tabernacle of the congregation and the altar, 
and thou shalt put water therein. For Aaron and 
his sons shall wash their hands and their feet thereat : 
when they go into the tabernacle of the congregation, 
they shall wash with water, that they die not ; or 
when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn 
offerings made by fire unto the Lord : so they shall 
wash their hands and their feet, that they die not : 
and it shall be a statute for ever to them, even to 
him and his seed throughout their generations." 

The restatement of the same truth is found in 
several passages in the New Testa,ment in which 
the cleansing and refitting of the believer-priest is 
set forth. In John xiii. 3-1 1, Jesus speaks of the 
first tense of salvation as the whole bath (" He that 
is bathed ") ; and, in contrast to this. He also 
speaks of His own work in removmg the believer's 



138 TRUE EVANGELISM 

defilement that may have been received through 
contact with the world. This cleansing of the 
believer is typified by the bathing of the feet. This 
is most suggestive when compared with the one 
preparatory whole bath of the Aaronic priest which 
was required when he entered the priestly office 
(Ex. xxix. 4), and the necessary repeated laving 
before each entrance into the holy place in the course 
of his priestly ministry. 

John xiii. 3-1 1, which teaches the possible cleans- 
ing of the believer-priest, is as follows : " Jesus 
knowing that the Father had given all things into 
His hands, and that He was come from God, and 
went to God, He riseth from supper, and laid aside 
His garments ; and took a towel, and girded Himself . 
After that He poureth water into a basin, and began 
to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with 
the towel wherewith He was girded. Then cometh 
He to Simon Peter : and Peter said unto Him, Lord, 
dost Thou wash my feet ? Jesus answered and 
said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now ; but 
thou shalt know hereafter. Peter said unto Him, 
Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered 
him. If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me. 
Simon Peter saith unto Him, Lord, not my feet 
only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 139 

to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash 
his feet, but is clean every whit : and ye are clean, 
but not all. For He knew who should betray Him ; 
therefore said He, Ye are not all clean." 

Upon this passage. Dr. C. I. Scofield gives the 
following note in the " Scofield Reference Bible " : 
*' The underlying imagery is of an oriental returning 
from the pubhc bath to his home. His feet would 
contract defilement and require cleansing, but not 
his body. So the believer is cleansed as before the 
law from all sin ' once for all ' (Heb. x. 1-12), but 
needs ever to bring his daily sins to the Father in 
confession, that he may abide in unbroken fellow- 
ship with the Father and with the Son (i John i. i-io). 
The blood of Christ answers for ever to all the law 
could say as to the believer's guilt, but he needs 
constant cleansing from the defilement of sin. See 
Eph. V. 25-27 ; I John v. 6. Typically, the order 
of approach to the presence of God was, first, the 
brazen altar of sacrifice, and then the laver of 
cleansing (Ex. xl. 6, 7). See, also, the order in 
Ex. XXX. 17-21 : Christ cannot have communion 
with a defiled saint, but He can and will cleanse 
him." 

Other passages on the cleansing of the New Testa- 
ment priest should be quoted also : ** Husbands, love 



140 TRUE EVANGELISM 

your wives, even as Christ loved the church, and gave 
Himself for it ; that He might sanctify and cleanse 
it with the washing of water by the word, that He 
might present it to Himself a glorious church, not 
having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that 
it should be holy and without blemish " (Eph. v. 
25-27). " If we say that we have fellowship with 
Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the 
truth : but if we v/alk in the light, as He is in the 
light, we have fellowship one with another, and the 
blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanse th us from all 
sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive our- 
selves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our 
sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, 
and to cleanse us from aU unrighteousness '* (i John 
i. 6-9). ** Nevertheless the foundation of God 
standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth 
them that are His. And, let every one that nameth 
the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in 
a great house there are not only vessels of gold and 
of silver, but also of wood and of earth ; and some 
to honour and some to dishonour. If a man there- 
fore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel 
unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master's 
use, and prepared unto every good work " (2 Tim. 
ii. ig-2i). 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 141 

The Aaronic priest met the penalty of instant 
death if he attempted to enter the Holy of hohes 
without the laving that was prescribed by the law, 
and while that penalty is not continued under 
grace, it is evident that God has safeguarded His 
holy Presence by closing the door of the believer's 
priestly ministry so long as his sin and defilement is 
not put away. As the priest of the Old Testament 
failed in his office through unfitness before God, so 
the priest of the New Testament, from the same 
cause, may sacrifice much of his privilege in holy 
service and communion with Christ. His priestly 
ministry of sacrifice, in which he presents his body, 
his praise and his benevolence, may go on in their 
outward forms, he being under grace ; yet it cannot 
be effectual when, because of sin, it is a ministry that 
is not acceptable to God. So also his priestly 
ministry of intercession may become of no avail 
through defilement. 

Here, as in the ministry of sacrifice, the loss 
is immeasurable. Not only are all his possible 
services to God and blessings to men hindered, 
which might be realized through his ministry 
in the holiest place, but he is without the joy 
and peace of fellowship with Christ. It is of great 
importance for the believer to realize that through 



142 TRUE EVANGELISM 

his defilement, not only his priestly ministry is 
hindered, but his own fellowship with Christ is 
sacrificed as well. " If we say that we have fellow- 
ship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do 
not the truth : but if we walk in the light, as He is 
in the light, we have fellowship one with another, 
and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us 
from all sin" (i John i. 6, 7). "These things 
(about abiding in Christ) have I spoken unto you, 
that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy 
might be full " (John xv. 11). " Verily, verily, 
I say unto you. Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father 
in My name. He will give it you. Hitherto ye have 
asked nothing in My name : ask, and ye shall 
receive, that your joy may be full " (John xvi. 23, 
24). " And now I come to thee ; and these things 
I speak in the world, that they might have My joy 
fulfilled in themselves " (John xvii. 13). " That 
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, 
that ye also may have fellowship with us : and 
truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with 
His Son Jesus Christ. And these things write 
we unto you, that your joy may be full " 
(I John i. 3, 4). 

It may then be concluded that defilement in the 
believer hinders every phase of his priestly office, 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 143 

makes fellowship with Christ impossible, and robs 
him of his personal joy and blessing. 

The limitation that is placed upon the priestly 
prayer of intercession through undealt-with sin in 
the behever's life is the only aspect of this truth 
that is directly related to the subject of evangelism. 

The following Scriptures warrant the conclusion 
that sin directly hinders prevaihng prayer : 

" If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will 
not hear me " (Psa. Ixvi. 18). " Behold, the Lord's 
hand is not shortened, that it cannot save ; neither 
His ear heavy that He cannot hear : but your 
iniquities have separated between you and your 
God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that 
He will not hear " (Isa. lix. i, 2). " Therefore if 
thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember- 
est that thy brother hath ought against thee ; leave 
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way : 
first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come 
and offer thy gift '' (Matt. v. 23, 24). " If ye abide 
in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what 
ye will, and it shall be done unto you " (John xv. 7). 
" I will therefore that men pray everywhere, Hfting 
up holy hands, without wrath and doubting " 
(i Tim. ii. 8). " Ye lust, and have not : ye kill, and 
desire to have, and cannot obtain : ye fight and war, 



144 TRUE EVANGELISM 

yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and 
receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may con- 
sume it upon your lusts " (James iv. 2, 3). "Con- 
fess your faults one to another, and pray one for 
another, that ye may be healed. The effectual 
fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much " 
(James v. 16). " Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with 
them according to knowledge, giving honour unto 
the wife, as unto the w^eaker vessel, and as being 
lieirs together of the grace of life ; that your prayers 
be not hindered " (i Pet. iii. 7). 

There is no point more strategic for the subtle 
attack of Satan against the plan and work of God 
in saving men than the one where God offers to meet 
the Christian for cleansing ; for, if cleansing can be 
hindered, very much of human co-operation with 
God in " seeking the lost " is hindered also. This 
Satanic influence is seen first in the fact that the 
Christians are almost universally ignorant of the 
God-provided way by which they may be cleansed 
from their defilement ; and second, this satanic 
influence is seen in the tendency of the flesh to resist 
the necessary requirements of God, even when they 
are understood. 

The definite offer to the unregenerate person of 
the forgiveness of his sins is conditioned upon his 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 145 

receiving Christ as his personal Saviour, and there 
is equally as definite an offer to the Christian for the 
forgiveness of his sin and defilement. The condi- 
tion which is imposed upon the believer is that he 
confess his sins. " If we confess our sins, He is 
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to 
cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (i John i. 9). 

The offer of forgiveness to the unsaved and the 
offer of forgiveness to the saved shoiild never be 
confused. While both are made possible by the 
blood of Christ, the sin question with the unsaved is 
dealt with as a part of the whole first tense of salva- 
tion, which cannot be divided, and is likened by 
Christ to the whole bath : while the sin question 
with the saved person stands alone, since no other 
aspect of his glorious salvation is disturbed by his 
sin. Hence the removal of his defilement is all that 
is called for ; and that is Hkened by Christ to the 
bathing of the feet of one who is returning from the 
whole bath. 

The Prodigal Son presents an illustration of the 
way in which a Christian may return to fellowship 
and blessing. There is no record that the prodigal 
was any less a son '* in the far country " than he was 
in his own home ; nor is it recorded of him that he 
returned to his father's house on the basis of sacrifice 



146 TRUE EVANGELISM 

or atonement : but it is stated that he returned on 
the basis of confession ; for it is said that he arose 
and came to his father, and said unto him, " Father, 
I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and 
am not worthy to be called thy son." 

In this same connection it may be seen that con- 
fession is the only requirement that can reasonably 
be demanded of a sinning saint ; for the basis of 
any true fellowship is a symphonizing of thought and 
purpose. Hence any defilement in a believer of 
necessity interrupts his fellowship (though not his 
salvation) with a holy God. When fellowship with 
God is broken by sin, it can be re-established only 
by a frank admission of guilt and failure on the part 
of the sinning one. To refuse a confession is to 
contend that right is wrong, and wrong is right, which 
would be a contradiction of the very nature and 
character of God. 

Confession re-opens the way for fellowship with 
God and of access to God, but it does not in any way 
atone for sin. Propitiation for sin was perfectly 
accomplished at the Cross. Since His ascension, 
Christ has been continually pleading the efficacy of 
His own sacrificial death for sin in behalf of behevers 
(Rom. viii. 33, 34 ; Heb. vii. 25). Therefore, it is 
said to the Christian : '' If we confess our sin, He is 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 147 

faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse 
us from all unrighteousness." The sin of the saved 
one is not forgiven on the grounds of an immediate 
act of mercy, but is forgiven on the grounds of the 
sacrifice made " once for all " at the Cross. So it is 
said that God is faithful and just to forgive us our 
sins, rather than that He is tender and merciful 
to forgive us our sins. 

The importance of confession of sin and of self- 
judgment is mentioned also in i Cor. xi., 31, 32. 
" For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be 
judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened 
of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with 
the world." In considering this important passage, 
it may be noted : 

I. This Scripture, like that relating to confession 
of sin, is addressed only to believers. 

II. The believer is first given the opportunity to 
judge himself before God, and if he fails in voluntary 
self- judgment, God will judge him by chastisement. 

III. And the chastisement of God is given that 
His child may not be condemned with the world. 
In this connection it should be remembered that 
God is in covenant with His children to the effect 
that they " shall not be brought into condemnation." 
** Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that heareth 



148 TRUE EVANGELISM 

My words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath 
everlasting hfe, and shall not come into condemna- 
tion ; but is passed from death unto life " (John 
V. 24). So again, " There is therefore now no 
condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus '* 
(Rom. viii. i). 

The whole relation between thebeheverand his God 
is one of eternal sonship, which cannot be broken ; 
hence all the judgments of God upon His own are 
for correction, while His judgments of the unsaved 
are unto condemnation. *' He that believeth on 
Him is not condemned ; but he that believeth not 
is condemned already, because he hath not believed 
on the name of the only begotten Son of God " 
(John iii. 18). 

The same family relationship of the father to his 
son is carried through both the Old and the New 
Testaments. " I will be His father, and He shall be 
My son. If He commit iniquity, I will chasten Him 
with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the 
children of men : but My mercy shall not depart 
away from Him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put 
away before thee " (2 Sam. vii. 14, 15). " And 
David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the 
Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord 
also hath put away thy sin ; thou shalt not die. 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 149 

Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great 
occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, 
the child also that is born of thee shall surely die " 
(2 Sam. xii. 13, 14). " To deliver such an one unto 
Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit 
may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus " (i Cor. 
V. 5). " For consider Him that endured such 
contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be 
weary and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet 
resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye 
have forgotten the exhortation, which speaketh unto 
you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the 
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art 
rebuked of Him : for whom the Lord loveth He 
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son w^hom He receiv- 
eth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you 
as with sons ; for what son is he whom the Father 
chasteneth not ? But if ye be without chastisement, 
whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and 
not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our 
flesh which corrected us, and we gave them rever- 
ence ; shall we not much rather be in subjection unto 
the Father of spirits, and live ? For they verily for 
a few days chastened us after their o\\ti pleasure ; 
but He for our profit that we might be partakers of 
His holiness. Now no chastening for the present 



150 TRUE EVANGELISM 

seemeth to be joyous, but grievous : nevertheless 
afterwards it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of right- 
eousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 
WTierefore lift up the hands which hang down, and 
the feeble knees ; and make straight paths for your 
feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way ; 
but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all 
men, and holiness, without which no man shall see 
the Lord : looking diligently lest any man fail of 
the grace of God ; lest any root of bitterness springing 
up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled " 
(Heb. xii. 3-15). " Every branch in me that 
beareth not fruit He taketh it away ; and every 
branch that beareth fruit. He purgeth it, that it 
may bring forth more fruit " (John xv. 2). 

From this extensive body of Scripture it may be 
seen that the Christian is privileged to " walk in 
the light, as He is in the light," which does not 
necessarily mean a sinless life : but it does mean 
the humble confession of all the fruits of a sinful 
nature, and an attitude of willingness to meet every 
demand of God for the putting away of sin. If the 
confession of sin and the judgment of self is not 
willingly entered into, there must be a chastisement 
from God, lest the believer be condemned with the 
world. The execution of this chastisement, it 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 151 

would seem, is sometimes committed to Satan 
(i Cor, V. 5 ; I Tim. i. 20). If fruit is not borne after 
chastisement, then God taketh the branch away 
(John XV. 2). This is not a loss of salvation, but is 
an entire rem.oval from this life and service. 

There are two practical questions which arise in 
connection with the confession of sin on the part of 
the believer. First, How may he know what to 
confess ? and second. To whom should he confess ? 

In answer to the question — How may he know what 
to confess? — it may be stated that. there are at 
least three ways by which a Christian may come to 
know his unlikeness to the mind and character of 
God. These are : 

I. The written Word of God, the teachings of 
which he may have neglected or transgressed. 
" All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and 
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, 
for instruction in righteousness : that the man of 
God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all 
good works " (2 Tim. iii. 16, 17). 

II. The faithful admonition of the fellow-members 
of the body of Christ. " Moreover if thy brother 
shaU trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault 
between thee and him alone : if he shall hear thee, 
thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not 



152 TRUE EVANGELISM 

hear thee, then take with thee one or more that 
in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word 
may be estabhshed. And if he shall neglect to hear 
them, tell it to the church : but if he shall neglect 
to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an 
heathen man and a publican " (Matt, xviii. 15-17). 
" Take heed to yourselves : if thy brother trespass 
against thee, rebuke him ; and if he repent, forgive 
him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in 
a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, 
saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him '* (Luke 
xvii. 3, 4). " Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a 
fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in 
the spirit of meekness ; considering thyself, lest 
thou also be tempted " (Gal. vi. i). 

III. The grieved Spirit who indwells him. The 
grieving of the Spirit will be to the Christian as an 
inner consciousness of wrong, which he must carefully 
and prayerfully heed. " And grieve not the Holy 
Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day 
of redemption" (Eph. iv. 30). 

The child of God will learn to distinguish between 
the ever-present unlikeness to Christ and the grosser 
sins that are mentioned in the Bible. " Adultery, 
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, 
witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 153 

seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, 
revellings, and such hke " (Gal. v. 19-21). In this 
passage it will be seen that the sins of hatred, 
wrath, envy, variance, emulations and strife are 
mentioned in the same list with adultery, murder 
and drunkenness. 

If a Christian really purposes to get right with God 
at any cost, he may well pray the prayer recorded 
in Psa. cxxxix. 23, 24 : " Search me, O God, and 
know my heart ; try me, and know my thoughts : 
and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead 
me in the way everlasting." There is assurance 
that every unholy thing will be revealed to the one 
who thus prays. " Let us therefore, as many as be 
perfect, be thus minded : and if in anything ye be 
otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto 
you " (Phil. iii. 15). 

In answer to this prayer for light upon the hidden , 
sins in the life, there may be but one sin revealed at 
a time, and further revelations may be made to 
depend both upon an honest dealing with the 
revelation already given and upon a repetition of 
the same supplication. There is no other way for a 
Christian to deal with his sin-hindered life. 

The voice of the unseen enemy must also be 
detected. He is ever present to dissuade the believer 



154 TRUE EVANGELISM 

from taking the necessary step that leads him back 
into fellowship with God, and into the power and 
blessing of service. Satan's method is to seek to 
minimize the hindering sin, to justify the miholy act 
or position, and to appeal to the personal pride of 
the Christian, or suggest that a confession of sin 
would hinder the believer's influence for his Lo;d. 

The answer to the second question: "To whom 
should a Christian confess ? " is more simple : 

I. Confession of sin should always be to God ; for 
He is wronged by the sin of a Christian more than 
any mortal. The Scripture examples of confession 
are clear on this point. " Against thee, thee only, 
have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight " 
(Psa. li. 4)- "I ^^ill arise and go to my father, 
and vAW say unto Him, Father, I have sinned against 
heaven, and before Thee, and am no m.ore worthy 
to be called Thy son : make m_e as one of thy hired 
servants " (Luke xv. i8, 19). 

n. Confession should be made to the person or 
persons who have been in any w^ay wronged by 
the sin. Here, it may be added, confession does 
not in any way involve the wrong attitude of others, 
nor does it demand that the responsibility for sin 
shall be assumed by a person who is in no way at 
fault If there has been an enmity between a 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 155 

Christian and some other person, the Christian is 
asked to consider and confess only his o^\^l wTong 
state of heart or sinful acts. This may not solve 
the misunderstanding between the two parties, but 
it will open the way for the cleansing of the Christian 
who confesses his sins. 

Again, confession of sin should always be limited 
to those who have been ^^Tonged, whether the sin 
has been committed against the community, the 
church or an individual. 

III. Confession should be made to any who have 
kno\Mi of the sin ; for they, in a measure, have also 
been wronged. " And make straight paths for your 
feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way ; 
but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all 
men, and holiness, without which no man shall see 
the Lord : looking dihgently lest any man fail of 
the grace of God ; lest any root of bitterness spring- 
ing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled * 
(Keb. xii. 13-15). " Let us not therefore judge one 
another any more : but judge this rather, that no 
man put a stiunbling-block or an occasion to fall in 
his brother's way " (Rom. xiv. 13 ; see also Luke 
xvii. I, 2 ; I Cor. viii. 7-13). 

The fifty-first Psalm is the record of David*s 
repentance and return to fellowship \^ith God after 



156 TRUE EVANGELISM 

his great sin, and is an exact statement of the neces- 
sary steps to be taken by a Christian in returning 
to his place of joy and power in service. The Psalm 
opens with a complete confession of sin ; claims the 
cleansing that is promised ; and ends with the 
restoration to joy, service, and whole fellowship 
with God. 

If there is no fruit borne to the glory of God, no 
fellowship with God, and no joy in the life of a 
believer, it is evidence that there is need of adjust- 
ment in that life to the mind and will of God. Such 
adjustments are the common experience of those 
who know what it is to walk with God ; for there 
is no other way to keep that priceless fellowship and 
blessing. The secret of abiding in such a w^alk with 
God is instant confession of every known sin, 
rather than a delay in, or an entire neglect of the 
performance of that duty. 

Let it be restated that the beHever may not 
realize a state of sinless perfection ; but he can and 
must maintain an attitude of willing and instant 
confession of every known wrong, if he w^ould walk 
in fellowship with his Lord and minister in the 
priestly office. 

When the heart is searched before God, and all 
sin is put away, the believer will " walk in the light 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 157 

as He is in the light " ; for that is the normal, if not 
the usual, Christian experience. In this relationship 
there will be fellowship with the Father and with His 
Son Jesus Christ, a running over with peace and joy, 
and unhindered outflow of the love of God through 
the life. 

Of this outflow of love it may be stated that, as 
the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the 
Spirit which is given unto us, the normal experience 
of every believer should be a Divine sense of the 
lost condition of unsaved people, which will prompt 
any necessary sacrifice or effort to win them. The 
particular person or persons for whom a Christian 
may be burdened, and the extent of that burden, 
will be indicated and governed by the sovereign 
movings of the Spirit of God ; while a sense of the 
burden, made possible through a cleansing of the 
life, is the one responsibility of the believer. 

Where the believer-priest is cleansed and is in 
communion with God, the love of God shed abroad in 
his heart will create in him a Divine longing for the 
salvation of the lost and this will be brought about 
by the Spirit " which is given unto him." He will 
then, from time to time, be driven to intercession 
and prayer through his suffering with Christ for 
the lost. Like Paul he will say : *' My heart's 



158 TRUE EVANGELISM 

desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might 
be saved," and this prayer will be an intercession by 
the Spirit ; " For we know not what to pray for as 
we ought : but the Spirit itself maketh intercession 
for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." 
And since that prayer is indicted by the Spirit, Who 
knows the mind of God, that prayer will be answered 
by the going forth of the Spirit in power, wielding 
His mighty sword to convict of sin, of righteousness, 
and of judgment. Then where this Divinely wrought 
vision is received and acted upon by a depositing of 
all hope and trust in the Lamb of God that taketh 
away the sin of the world, there will be, by the same 
Spirit, a marvellous transformation of the whole 
estate from the power and darkness of Satan into 
the light, liberty and blessing of the sons of God. 

Thus when the believer-priest is cleansed and in 
a normal relation to God, the Spirit is free to take 
every necessary step in the " power of God unto 
salvation," and the believer will be led in perfect co- 
operation with Christ in His great unfinished work 
of seeking the lost. The work is all accomplished 
by the Spirit ; for it is the Spirit Who inspires the 
prayer which is the only relief for the one who is 
suffering with Christ through the Divinely given 
burden for the lost ; it is the Spirit Who convinces 



CLEANSING OF THE PRIESTS 159 

of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment in answer 
to prayer which He inspires ; and it is the Spirit 
Who meets the wiUing soul with the power of God 
in salvation. 

True evangelism begins, then, with a cleansed 
priest, and while the human instrument may co- 
operate in much of the subsequent work in seeking 
the lost, " It is not by might, nor by power, but by 
My Spirit saith the Lord." 



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